breaking. this is wbal news tonight. guilty of second-degree murder and you will hear the sentence momentarily. that is the verdict for former university of virginia lacrosse player george huguely after hearing from 60 witnesses. he stands convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend yeardley love. >> the jury deliberated most of the day and came back with a verdict just after 6:30. he will spend 26 in a -- 26 years in prison. we have been following the trial from its beginning. live in charlottesville with more on the verdict and sentencing. >> good evening. it took the jury about nine hours to come up with that verdict of guilty of second- degree murder and guilty of grand larceny. a 26-year prison term came down in a sentencing hearing just after that verdict was announced. earlier, about 10 minutes ago, attorneys from both sides came

out and reacted to the verdict. >> there is nothing that we can say that will make good the terrible and tragic loss that the love family -- there are no winners in this case. there is nothing but lost everywhere. >> we are, of course, disappointed with this verdict. we have been proud to represent george in his fight for fairness over the last couple of years. he has the support of a loving family, he has displayed amazing resilience and courage. he is hopeful, spiritual, and he, we look forward to some corrections. >> after deliberating about nine

hours, a jury of his peers felt there was enough evidence to convict the former ucla lacrosse player with second degree murder in the killing of than a 22- year-old yeardley love. during a brief sentencing hearing, her mother and tell it -- and sister testified about how grief-stricken they remain. sharon love told about her daughter, every day that goes by, i am afraid i am losing pieces of her. >> let's see love, as her voice broke up, said, i never wanted something so bad then to see your face again. this is the number one worst thing that could have happened. she was found in her roommate in her off-campus apartment face down on her bed, head resting on a pillow in a pool of her own blood. the prosecution presented a case. huguely, after spending the day before in a drug haze, went to her apartment, busted through a

bedroom door, and struck her, causing blunt force trauma which led to her death. the defense tried to say the death was an accident, never denying huguely went to her apartment. it seems that huguely -- the jury believed huguely never intended to kill her. following his sentencing, his family came out and declined comment. all 12 jurors also declined comment. the family of yeardley love did not come to the podium but did release a statement and i will read it. i am paraphrasing. we dread looking back on the events of may 3, 2010, and pray for the strength to get through each day. we will continue to keep her spirits alive by performing works of kindness in her name and we would like to thank the commonwealth, and particularly dave chapman for his tireless efforts. we have this entire statement on our website. just to recap, a 26-year prison

term is the recommendation for george huguely, guilty of second-degree murder and grand larceny. >> before you go, we talked about this earlier. what type of impact do you think of all -- the think alcohol impact had on this case? >> as was presented in this case, both sides showed evidence that both of these people, yeardley love and george huguely, their relationship was fueled by of all. it was either one extreme, very happy and together, holding hands, or the other side of it was a very violent, angry relationship. unfortunately, it came to a head that night in her apartment where george huguely decided to go over there and murder her. >> live from charlottesville with the verdict and sentencing. thank you. >> we spoke with a local domestic violence expert. she says she hopes it will get

more people talking about violence about -- against women. she says it can teach valuable lessons about recognizing the signs of domestic violence. friends say they knew something was wrong but they did not speak up. >> everybody watched the relationship. people were really troubled by it. they were scared for her, thinking he was acting weird. nobody knew what to do. the one thing we can get out of it is, we ought to learn what to do. >> she feels that the second degree murder conviction sends the message that he was not in control when he killed yeardley love. she says that the domestic violence is a pattern of controlling behavior. if you subscribe to breaking news alerts, you got the verdict immediately. sign up for free and you can see the interactive timeline of the case in a special extended coverage section. if you know someone in an abusive relationship, you can help them. find out how on our web site.

>> the search continues for two men after an armed robbery at a northeast baltimore convenience store. police have released this surveillance photo of the suspects. the investigators say these men shot a 46-year-old customer and robbed the royal farms store in the 5200 block of all for road and hamilton. customers were shocked at the news. >> i bring my son here every day. they could have been me or my child in there. it is crazy. >> is kind of scary. i do not understand. it is scary but it happens. it is baltimore. >> it is unclear how much cash the suspects took. the victim is expected to recover. >> a coalition of clergy urged legislators to repeal the death penalty law, making life in prison without the possibility of parole the harshest punishment. that bill was forced to share a

stage withiup -- a number of other issues. we have tonight's session round up. >> right now, members of the general assembly have 2389 bills before them. nearly halfway through the session, there is a lot of heavy lifting to do. governor martin o'malley leading a rally on the eve of his testimony before a house committee. the governor's bill creates a full and frank -- creates a framework to install wind turbines. religious opponents of the death penalty signed a letter urging the repeal the law. the letter was circulated to all members of the general assembly. >> which also appealed to your hearts and your conscience. >> members of the senate are doing some soul-searching as they prepare to vote on the governor's same-sex marriage bill. >> we will give this bill full opportunity for debate. >> debate will begin thursday morning and last into the evening. a number of amendments are

expected. >> any effort to amend the bill is potentially to kill the bill. it may look like a placebo but it is a poison pill. >> a final vote could be called thursday night or friday. it would not be any different from last year, when the measure passed 25-21. blackjack, poker, and other card games could become available at slot palaces across the state under several bills being considered. a large crowd grid -- gathered in support of a casino. national harbor being mentioned as a preferred site. >> there is a unique opportunity to take advantage to our proximity of the district of columbia and the i-95 border, one of the busiest highways on the east coast, to build a high- end destination facility. >> mike miller wants slots and table games. but adding another gambling site to the five already approved is

drawing opposition from the house. many believe the unexpected competition would not be fair to operators in baltimore city. the casinos are designed in part by market share. a slice of proceeds go to the jurisdictions where they're located. >> we're hoping to get somewhere between 12-$15 million. i do not want to see any thing jeopardize this revenue. >> the prince george's county delegation remains split on the issue. it requires a supermajority vote from each chamber. even if that happens, voters will have the last word through a referendum. >> a new audit confirms a problem with the way the city bills residents for water use. during the board of estimates, auditors uncovered several problems with the city's water system. public works records reveal more than 38,000 customers were over billed to the tune of $4.3 million, while some were not

billed at all. the audit shows that, in some cases, there were no meter readings for five years. the system is inefficient but she blames her predecessors for not updating the system sooner. >> hold onto your wallets as gas prices are just skyrocketing. they're doing it very fast. last year, prices did not top $3.50. this year, we have already surpassed the record. the prices keep going up and up. live in north baltimore with how the prices are affecting drivers and their plans. >> gas prices went up one penny since yesterday. analysts point to global demand and crude oil prices. they warn that prices could shoot up to $4 per gallon very soon. >> i do not do half as much driving as i used to. >> he has cut back on his driving as the gas prices have cut into his wallet. gas prices up 11% since the

beginning of the year and skyrocketing in the past month. the average price in maryland is $3.63 per gallon, higher than the national average of $3.50. >> it is unusual to see the prices in maryland higher than the national average. we are treating that to a couple of north these refineries that have closed. that is putting pressure on gas prices. >> bad timing as people start thinking about spring travel plans. driving will be expensive and air fare is climbing. >> we are thinking about taking the train. that might be a better deal than flights. >> discount airline southwest announced a 10% increase in fares last week. when discount airlines announced increases, other airlines tend to follow suit. she has seen big changes in the past week. >> i have been in the business 23 years and i took a second. i was really surprised. >> most of her customers are

sticking with their travel plans but are considering other options like cutting back the number of vacation days. she suggests checking out package deals. with special savings like a free night stay or meal deal. >> you have to introduce something into the package if you're seeing a decline in your bookings because you do not want to suffer a loss. >> recent history suggests that when prices surpassed $3.50 per gallon, they tended to stay there. you can find the cheapest gas in our area by going to our web site. o2 project economy and click on gas prices. >> in tonight's medical alert, advisers to the fda has zero more -- have overwhelmingly backed approval of a new diet drug. back in 2010, the fda rejected the prescription diet pills.

today, the vote was 20-2 in a vote of recommending approval. analysts backed the drug due to its impressive results with most patients recording 10% weight loss. the group stressed the importance of confirming the drug's safety by tracking patients in a large, follow-up setting. the fda decision is expected in april. and hepatitis c is killing more americans than hiv. health officials are recommending all baby boomers be tested. research reveals about two- thirds of u.s. infections are in people between -- born between 1945 and 1965. most do not know they are infected because the virus does not affect them until later. everyone should be routinely screened for hepatitis just like they are screened for cholesterol, with a simple blood test. >> in the long run, they would benefit.

we can prevent the promotion to liver failure and liver cancer. >> about 500,000 people die in the united states each year from hepatitis. you can find more information on our web site. >> in commitment 2012, the republican presidential candidates babbitt -- battle over who is the true conservative, leading up to the primaries in michigan and arizona. steve has a wrap of tonight's debate. >> for candidates debated in arizona but just two are tied in the key race in michigan, rick santorum and mitt romney. romney went after his rival. while i was fighting to save the olympics, you were fighting to save the bridge to nowhere. boating without compensating cuts.

>> the size of the economy went down when i was in the united states senate. gov romney suggested raising taxes on the top 1%. >> ron paul was siding with romney, calling santorum fake. >> he is a fake. >> issue #2 is birth control. president obama requiring church affiliated organizations to contain birth control distribution. >> we have not seen the kind of attack on religious freedom that we have seen under barack obama. >> santorum says birth control can lead to a morality. >> we are seeing a problem in our culture. the morality creates the problem of wanting to use the pill. you do not blame the pill. >> newt gingrich fall to be heard. >> it is possible to modernize the federal government and cut taxes and develop energy simultaneously. >> he is not contending in arizona or michigan.

that is where romney and santorum have their showdown on tuesday. michigan is the home state of mitt romney. a loss there could shake his foundation because he is the most delectable of before. >> from the emotional outburst from newt gingrich to the emergence of rick santorum, you can catch the five key points on each of the candidates. had to the politics section of our web site. >> is a large sum but not large enough to restore the national cathedral. more than $2 million has been raised to cover restoration work after last summer's earthquake. that will not cover the estimated $15-$20 million in repair costs. it damaged four main spires on the cathedral and cracked other parts of the building. >> across the country, it is the beginning of ash wednesday.

we are live at st. patrick's church where a mass was celebrated for the first time since last august's earthquake. >> this was one of the few buildings to get any damage. the church had to shut down for repairs. tonight, it opened its doors for the first time and it was a symbolic homecoming for parishioners on this ash wednesday. it is a sound parishioners at st. patrick's catholic church have not heard in six months. >> we are putting the bells on a little while to let people know we are here. >> the earthquake that shook baltimore and much of the east coast. as a safety precaution, the church was shut down. >> pieces had fallen and were hanging loose. all that had to be taking care of in order to secure the church. there were people -- there were pieces high enough of that if

they had fallen, they could have come through the roof. >> for the past six months, parishioners had to go to mass at nearby sacred heart church. tonight, there were able to mark the beginning of lent by celebrating ash wednesday at their home church. >> is a very strategic day, also because it is a new season, a time of blessing, a time of grace for the church. people will hopefully come with that spirit. >> they always say we are going to open in april but we never knew the date. i am so proud is this day. it is a wonderful day. >> as the congress and embarks on the 40-day journey, father says he is excited to be doing it at home. >> it has been closed for a while and it means so much to people. >> even though they were temporarily displaced, the congregation were still able to maintain a sense of community.

>> thank you. today, president obama joined several notable figures to break ground for the national museum of african-american history and culture. the newest museum of the smithsonian will document the history of african americans from slavery to the present. the museum will encompass thousands of artifacts, including the plane that trained tuskegee airmen and a handbook once owned by harriet tubman. >> now, your forecast with tom tasslemeyer. >> temperatures were in the '60s. that is not normal. you come up with 47, which would be typical for this time of year. we are way above that. the winter, so far, december, january, february, now tied for seventh all-time as warmest winters all time.

we are right now in seventh place. the record high, not quite. 74 is the record. that goes back to 1874. the record low is seven degrees. nothing in the rain gauge yet but there have been showered developing. some lightening strikes out west and some thunderstorms crossing the lower part of the bay. you could hear some thunder tonight in this weather pattern with moisture flowing through. a weak area of low pressure tracking by. that system will be gone by morning. we will still hold onto some cloud cover but with some clouds around, the temperature will not cool off much at all. 42-49 to start thursday. 57 degrees at marshall right now. we are picking up the showers as they go through tonight. tomorrow, some sunshine and temperatures will warm again.

it is going to raise to the south and east and get here in the morning on friday. when it comes through, a temperature will change. until then, still very mild. friday and into saturday, a little piece of this cold air showing up in canada will come slipping in. over the weekend, we could see a few snow showers. that is how dramatic the temperatures will change. partly cloudy in the afternoon tomorrow with southwest winds and unseasonably mild temperatures. the next front is approaching and showers began to develop tomorrow night, maybe even another rumble of thunder. gusty winds, 40-50 miles per hour, dragging cold air. maybe a flurry or a snow shower here. much colder air for the weekend. spring continues for a couple more days ahead of schedule. westerly wind and chances of showers in the late evening hours. on the bay, winds will start off

like an increase to an advisory tomorrow evening. scattered rain showers in the mountains tomorrow and snow showers on friday. eastern shore, a mild temperatures. maybe a thunderstorm on friday. the lower eastern shore could hit 70 on friday before a cold front moves through. 60's on thursday and friday and highs in the '40's during the weekend. maybe even a flurry on saturday. >> the terrapins change direction with their former quarterback and change to the direct their anger towards. find out why next. >> coming to live from south florida. a guaranteed jackpot of $60 million. there are nine ways to win in powerball. check your tickets carefully. you have eyes on the prize.

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>> now, it is 11 sports. >> we officially know what everyone suspected, why maryland did not want danny o'brien transferring to vanderbilt. today, maryland granted o'brien a full release from his scholarship, clearing the way for him to go to vendor build. the terrapins have limited his options and said he could not go to vendor build. but he can if he so chooses. the terrapins filed an official tampering complaint against vanderbilt. vanderbilt head coach left

maryland following his freshman season. most teams had to spring training looking to improve one, too, maybe three spots. the orioles want five upgrades. they had such a poor pitching season and have so many players competing, they won't have a clear idea for weeks of who will make up the rotation. hamels wants to improve life for the starting rotation and bullpen. >> my main goal is to get 200. i want to be the guy to give the bullpen a day off, get deep into the ball game and win ballgames. you cannot control wins and losses but you can go out there and get to 200 innings. >> the nba will showcase what looks like its biggest game this season outside of the playoffs. jeremy lin and the new york knicks against lebron james and the miami heat.

second quarter, and jeremy lin working every phase of the court. tyson general takes it out and lin nails it. the knicks are up by 18. later, up jeremy lin on the drive, hesitation, leaner. the knicks win the 99-82. they take on lebron james and the heat tomorrow morning. college basketball, centennial college championship. playing washington for a trip to the semifinals. in the paint with a when the mail -- with a windmill. >> works out that way sometimes. >> did you bring us anything? >> yes, i did. >> we are ready. >> you are ready now?

>> yes. is it red and comes in tall bottles? >> it begins with an art. -- an r. it is called arrest. -- it is called rest. >> sev

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>> what is happening with the weather? >> warm temperatures, does not feel like february. back into the low-sixties thursday, mid-'60s friday. back into the 40's friday afternoon. ushering in more cold air, but normal for this time of year. low-twenties by sunday morning, maybe some snow showers on saturday. back into the low-fifties by monday. you can see a little bit of stormy weather there. the 29th of february, going into the early part of march. >> beware the ides of march. >> or even the beginning of march. >> we missed the snow a few days and it was very mild for a few days. >> good night, everybody.

>> announcer: it's "the tonight featuring rickey minor