on our broadcast tonight -- under siege. the growing crisis in syria. an american woman, a fearless eyewitness to war is killed. her final dispatch champing. anti-american anger in afghanistan because holy books were burned. tonight, how did it happen? stolen valor. is it legal to lie about military service? can you make yourself a hero even if you stayed home? a fight over freedom and speech and this country's military honor. obsessed with having the perfect body. tonight, a warning for parents who may be surprised to learn who is dying to be thin. and the voice. he's at it again and tonight

we'll take a look at president and politics and songs. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening. the pictures coming out of syria are hard to watch. they're also hard to look away from. there are bona fide atrocities going on there. while this type of violence is abhorrent, we have seen this before in this region in just the last few months. a well-equipped military is firing on civilians and trying to crush an uprising. they're firing on their own people and the world is now watching. among the civilian deaths, an american woman who had been in syria trying to get that story out. our own chief foreign correspondent richard engel is on the syrian border in turkey tonight and starts us off from there. richard, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. today's violence showed the

intensity of the syrian government's crackdown on the city of homs and its indiscriminate shelling of civilian area. even if you listen closely, it's hard to hear a single peaceful moment in homs. syrian troops ringing the city with fire rockets and machine guns to drive out a few hundred opposition forces. the blogger who took this video can be heard praying for his life. he was killed a few hours later. this morning, more voices were silenced. this rubble was a rudimentary media center in homs run by the syrian opposition who barely hold a few pockets in the city. the building took a direct hit. inside killed as they were

working, french rafr remi ochlik and veteran american war correspondent marie colvin who reported for the british newspaper "the sunday times." colvin provided the bbc with some of the most vivid accounts of the brutality. hearing her now is haunting hours before her death. >> there were shells, rockets coming in hitting any building. i have not seen one military target. they're similarly all firing. the wounded and dead i've seen 80% civilians. it is shelling with impunity and a merciless disregard for the civilians who simply cannot escape. >> reporter: colvin was no stranger to the cost of this unforgiving business of war reporting. she lost an eye to shrapnel in sri lanka. widely considered one of the greatest reporters of her generation, she was featured in a documentary about women on the front line. in homs there were no front

lines, nowhere safe. >> there is a small clinic. you can't really call it a clinic. it's an apartment that has been turned into a clinic. you have plasma bags hanging from coat hangers. i watched a little baby die today, absolutely horrific. the doctor said i can't do anything and that is happening over and over and over. no one here can understand how the international community can let this happen. >> reporter: today in oyster bay, new york, colvin's mother learned about her daughter's last dangerous assignment. >> terrible. you're never ready for it. all these years and all this time i was never ready for it. >> reporter: a daughter, a reporter whose work meant everything. >> you know, it still matters to me. when it stops mattering to me, i'll stop doing it. >> reporter: and brian, there are still 30,000 people in the city of homs low on food, low on supplies and under attack.

even where we are on the syrian border with turkey, we can still hear the shelling tonight inside syria. >> richard engel, be safe in your travels. richard with is tonight again from the syrian/turkey border. richard, thanks for your reporting. the u.s. embassy in afghanistan is on lockdown tonight and seven people dead there after police opened fire to disperse thousands of anti-american protestors. they are outraged at the unintentional burning of koran. despite official apologies, there is concern this eruption of anger may spiral out of control. we are in kabul tonight. >> reporter: thousands of angry afghans took to the streets today in various cities of afghanistan chanting, "death to america" for a second day of protests. they're protesting the burning of the koran and other religious material by u.s. soldiers in bagram air base north of kabul. since the incident, nato profusely apologized, calling

the incident unintentional. they say those soldiers were cleaning out a library at a detention facility on the base and didn't realize what they were burning until the afghan staffers saw what was happening. these protests turned violent and deadly. today, seven afghans were killed and dozens more injured while protestors were throwing stones and molotov cocktails at foreign instant layings. the u.s. embassy was on lockdown as well as orrin guest house us throughout the city and throughout the country for fear of escalation of violence. we expect protests to continue in the coming days and expect them to get more violent and more deadly. brian? >> thanks. a thorny question about american military honor on the docket today at the u.s. supreme court. the justices took up this question, as unacceptable as it may sound to the rest of us, should it be a crime to lie

about receiving military honors and medals? for more on this debate over an emotionally charged question, here is our justice correspondent pete williams. >> reporter: newly elected to a california waterboard, xavier alvarez introduced himself as a retired u.s. marine. >> back in 1987 i was awarded the congressional medal of honor. i got wounded many times. >> reporter: but he never served a single day in uniform. in colorado a man who launched a veterans group claimed he was honored for valiantry in iraq. lying about federal honors is a federal crime. >> stolen valor is impersonation. it's stealing the identity of a war hero or a wounded warrior. >> reporter: but defense lawyers say the claims did not hurt

anyone and are protected free speech under past rulings by the supreme court. >> it's never upheld a law like here we have here which are bare falsities that actually harmts nobody. >> reporter: some justices wondered how far congress could go to ban false statements. what about lying about serving in the military, not about medals? chief justice roberts, where do you stop i? lying about having a high school diploma? the first amendment protects even offensive speech. but several said lying about a military award does more than offend, for those who serve courageously, said justice scalia, their service is demeaned. justice kennedy said it could give medals the same legal protection as trademarks. the justices said burning the flag and protesting at military funerals are protected expression, but seem to look for some way to uphold this law. pete williams, nbc news at the supreme court. >> we get to put this question

to an actual recipient of the medal of honor. our military analyst retired army colonel jack jacobs. i know there are 83 recipients alive. does it not diminish the medal placed around your neck by president nixon when anybody can claim to have the same medal? >> lying about receiving an award for valor is certainly pathetic, to say the least. there is a certain amount of honor that comes with any award for valor, but i don't think either the medal or a recipient is so fragile that we have to curtail free speech, which is a linchpin of our democracy, we have to curtail free speech in order to protect either the award or the individual receiving it. >> an interesting view of this from a recipient. jack, colonel jacobs, thank you.

>> thank you for having me. to the campaign trail. as gop contenders debate tonight for the 20th time, we have new numbers from our nbc news/marist poll on where they stand. chuck todd our political director is with us tonight with the new numbers. good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. in many cases next tuesday with michigan and arizona becoming a junior tuesday to the following tuesdays super tuesday of primaries and we've got numbers in both states. in michigan, romney up 37-35 over santorum. arizona, a bigger lead where the debate is being held tonight for mitt romney. he sits at 43-27. interestingly, both polls are able to show the same story which is its organization for romney versus ideology and momentum for santorum. look at this. among those folks who voted in michigan, you have mitt romney with a 23-point lead and arizona among those folk whose already voted, he's got a 30-point lead.

santorum's strength is ideology among tea party supporters, he leads romney by 20 points in michigan. among those who call themselves conservative, he leads by almost 40 points in michigan. that's what this has come down to. tonight's debate may tell us a lot. it's organization with romney versus momentum and ideology and passion for santorum. >> chuck todd, thanks, as always. a panel of experts for the fda recommended a new diet drug called qnexa should be approved. the recommendation comes despite concerns about heart and birth defect risks. the panel said the drug's effectiveness outweighs any potential risks. the fda will now decide whether to give full approval later this year. if they do, qnexa will be the first new diet drug on the market since 1999. there is news about a screening test millions had and few look forward to. tonight, a major study presents clear evidence of what doctors have been telling us for years,

column on colosocpies do save lives. colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in this country. when we continue here on a wednesday night what every parent should know about an obsession that can kill. young people with a dangerous eating disorder may not be who you think. later -- could this be what this president is remembered for? it's time to get going.

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>> reporter: thomas, a straight a student, exceptional athlete a boy secretly obsessed with diet and exercise in hopes of achieving the perfect body. >> he wanted a six pack. he wanted rock hard abs, he wanted muscles. that's how it started. >> reporter: it was anorexia, a life-threatening eating disorder. for eight years t.j. starved himself and exercised compulsively. eventually he stopped eating up to 23 hours a day while exercising close to five. >> he would ask us, beg us, please don't tell anybody. it's so embarrassing. everybody thinks this is a girl's disease. >> reporter: t.j. died in the midful his nightly routine doing 1,000 sit-ups, weighing just 78 pounds his heart gave out. >> the look in his eyes, the last pk turs he took of himself on his camera, it wasn't t.j. it was matt, my son. >> reporter: t.j. is the new face of anorexia. at least one million males suffer from eating disorders,

dying to be thin. experts say it takes a certain kind of personality to go to this extreme. >> it's very unusual for someone to come onto my office for an assessment of anorexia if they do not have straight as. this is true for boys and girls. and in sports, these are great athletes usually who drive themselves to the next level. >> reporter: doctors like psychiatrist james lock believe kids strive for the same air-brushed perfection they see in the media boys concentrate on muscle mass and fat index. >> they come later to treatment. they have had longer time to lose weight so they are physically sicker. >> reporter: augistine was 10 when he began losing weight. in a matter of weeks he went from being a picky eater to not being able to swallow solid food. >> i felt i was up against death watching my child potentially die on me. so i was fighting to save him. >> reporter: even after two

lengthy stays at a treatment center, avi, now 14, admits he still struggles with a distorted body image. >> i seventhly sometimes, you know, when i look at myself i say, i'm so fat. >> reporter: for now, food is not his enemy. >> after not eating for a few years, everything seems so good. i love burritos, ice cream, a yemini food, pizza and all sorts of stuff. >> reporter: if you suspect your child, particularly a young man in your house might be anorexic, look for changes like isolation. is your child hiding food, eating alone getting picky about food, and watch how he or she dresses? boys wilm times layer their clothes and wear hoodies. it really require as lot of suspicion because you can't do this yourself. this is one time when you have to turn to a pediatrician who will get you to an eating specialist then you have to fight with insurance companies to make sure they help you along

what it and help with reimbursements. >> such a virulent illness. thank you for doing this story. we posted more information on all of this on our website tonight, nbcnightlynews.com. we'll take a break. up next, the french have reached a major decision. not in this economy. we also have zero free time, and my dad moving in. so we went to fidelity. we looked at our family's goals and some ways to help us get there. they helped me fix my economy, the one in my house. now they're managing my investments for me. and with fidelity, getting back on track was easier than i thought. call or come in today to take control of your personal economy. get one-on-one help from america's retirement leader.

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girlfriend. >> the jury has come back sooner than anyone expected. they have found him guilty of second-degree murder and grand larceny. lowell melser is live at the court room and had been covering this case from the beginning. we will hear from him in a few minutes. that is an unexpected, sudden verdict. >> we should mention that second degree murder conviction and grand larceny conviction carries a possible sentence of 5-40 years. he could and found guilty of first-degree murder, felony murder with the robbery. that could result in 20 to life. voluntary manslaughter was another possibility. no jail time. upwards to 10 years. or involuntary manslaughter with the possibility of no jail time or 10 years. >> many people may not be super surprise of this verdict.

there was a lot of evidence against in this case -- in george huguely in this case. a lot people might -- thought it might be second degree murder. his attorneys were trying to go for involuntary manslaughter. >> let's reiterate what happened. we are talking about the night of may 2, 2010. george huguely went to his ex- girlfriend's apartment, kick in the door. there was an altercation. something went horribly wrong. now the verdict live. >> to get myself caught up, i want to reiterate, guilty of second-degree murder. guilty of grand larceny. the jury felt that -- >> we are having some difficulty with our signal. we will have them back in just a moment. >> he was a lacrosse player at

the university of virginia. they had a tumultuous relationship. an on-again, off-again relationship. at the time of the incident, they had broken up. george huguely was upset about that, reportedly went to our apartment, kick in the door. there was an altercation. >> he admitted to police that he wrestled with her and threw her on the bed but said he did not strangle her. the medical examiner said she died from blunt force trauma. let's go back to lowell melser. >> the prosecution had originally said they wanted to try to get a robbery charge associated with the murder charge to get a felony first- degree murder charge in there. the jury probably did not feel the computer was worst the $200 they would need to get a felony for robbery here in virginia. that might have played a role. they gave in the grand larceny charge instead.

a lot of us were handicapping this and figuring that it seemed more like a second degree murder would be the charge that would stick. simply because we felt it would have been hard for the jury to come up with the fact that there was premeditation associated with this murder. second-degree felt better. where malice was concern. malice meaning george huguely that would have had some evil intent when he went over there to the house to possibly cause harm. most likely that is probably how the jury came up with this verdict. they deliberated for about nine hours, all day. not taking a break. just staying there the whole time, going over this cake. only two questions they ask to read one -- going over this case. only two questions they asked. second was concerned about some jury instruction, having to do

with intent and whether a couple of these jury instructions overlapped each other or contradicted each other. the judge responded to that to basically do the best you can and rephrase the question because we cannot help you there. they never did rephrase that question. a couple of hours later, we got a verdict. >> what you think george huguely's alcohol used late in the verdict? there was testimony about the fact that he was drinking heavily that day and that his ex wasn't legally intoxicated during the altercation. >> i think alcohol was the key factor in this entire story. it was definitely proven from both sides that bothyeard -- both yeardley love and george huguely likes to drink. there are two sides to their relationship. one side, they were happy and

close and holding hands. on the other side, there was a violent and a relationship where as we saw him once, evidence revealed in court that george huguely got her into a chokehold that was witnessed by an number people. he bowed her an apology letter about that found in her desk. -- he wrote an apology letter about that, found in her desk. ironically both of them at each other at a spot in baltimore were the people like to drink and have a good time in the infield. this was a relationship to buy alcohol. unfortunately, there was this outcome to it. >> let's go back to the computer issues and then not coming to a decision of a conviction on rory charge. there was testimony that george huguely left her apartment, took

her laptop computer and tossed it into a trash can because he was trying to hide incriminating e-mails, including the one that he said he should have killed her when he found out about another relationship. that was critical to getting a first degree murder conviction because the robbery would have been tied to the murder. they did not decide on that. >> that is correct. what was interesting is there is this whole premeditation factor. george huguely did specifically go over to that apartment to steal the computer and then kill her in the process? no, that was not the case. the jury thinks it was an afterthought. maybe he had already done all harm and installed a computer, thinking he could get rid of those e-mails in some way. he originally told police he stole the computer accra roderick -- as collateral so the next day she would have reason

to get in touch with him so they could talk things out. what is interesting, if he was holding it for collateral, why did he throw it into the dumpster? the jury felt that the best they could do there was a grand larceny charge. they did not feel they have the rory charge, especially considering the value of the computer and the intent of when george huguely went to her apartment. >> one of his former teammates said he thought george huguely lied about where he was on the night of her death. you have to wonder what that played in the jury's mind. why else would he lie about it? >> correct. that was one of his teammates who said he even noticed that george huguely was acting very strange that night. he had a blank stare on his face and asked him. he said george, what is wrong?

no answer. he asked him three times. and did not get an answer. also caught him in a lie. one of his teammates was writing a paper below them and this person george huguely, said he wanted -- he went to see him and that he came upstairs to hang out with him. this simply was not true. that remains had been working on the paper all night and was not retreating to read it were a number of allies that -- lies taht george huguely told that night. they caught up to him. here we are. >> george huguely convicted of second-degree murder and grand larceny. looking at a penalty of anywhere from 5-40 years. do we know when a sentencing date will take place? >> that is the fun