on this monday night, kill them all. was it a confession? a jaw dropping twist jolts a decades long mystery, a millionaire drifter, a vanished wife a murdered friend and now a shocking moment caught on tape. have police finally gotten their man? diz ast ner paradise. a monstrous storm makes a deadly hit on an island made famous by tv "survivor." our team is on the ground. lowering cholesterol. new drugs unveiled a potential game changer that could reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes. and fashion firestorm. legendary designers under fire for comments about in vitro babies. families are furious, including within very famous family calling

for a boycott. "nbc nightly news" begins now. from nbc news world headquarters in new york this is "nbc nightly news." reporting tonight lester holt. good evening. starting with the disappearance of his wife over 30 years ago, millionaire robert durst has founded from coast to coast. they could never make quite a solid case against until maybe now. tonight he's behind bars in new orleans waiting extradition to los angeles where he faces charges in one of those cases, the murder of a friend back in 2000. it's a case that may have been solved in part with millions of tv viewers watching. an hbo documentary provided a stunning twist to a long and sorted tale. our stephanie gosk was in the courtroom for his first appearance today. stephanie. >> reporter: good evening, lester. while robert durst was escorted into the

courtroom, he was handcuffed, shackled in an orange jumpsuit. the 71-year-old is waiving his right to an extradition hearing, but prosecutors here in new orleans are threatening new charges against him that could slow down the extradition. accused of murdering his close friend susan burrman in her l.a. home nearly 15 years ago, robert durst's attorney says his client is not guilty and they are eager to prove it in court. >> we are frustrated because the local authorities are considering filing charges on him here and holding him here. we're ready to go to california and have a trial. >> reporter: a police report obtained by nbc news indicates the 71-year-old was found with a smith and wesson revolver. officers warned he was armed and dangerous and a flight risk. performing "the jinx." he was confronted with

new evidence that could tie his hand wrieg e writing to a note send to police by susan berman's presumed killer. >> i wrote this one. i did not write that one. >> reporter: durst goes to the bathroom seemingly unaware he was still being recorded. >> there it is. you're caught. killed them all of course. >> reporter: is this a confession to three murders? his wife kathy durst who disappeared in 1982 and was never found, the texas neighbor who he was acquitted of murdering in 2003 and susan berman who authorities say they were getting ready to question in his wife's disappearance. the team didn't discover the audio until nine months ago, more than two years after the interview. as the series unfolded on tv he told abc news he became nervous about his own safety and last week called the police. >> i was saying i'm uncomfortable and i have security. i've never had security in my life. my family's

uncomfortable. and i feel that this should be made. >> reporter: today executive producer said they wouldn't comment any further because they are now likely witnesses in the trial. one of kathy durst's friends is praising their documentary while having mixed emotions about the case. >> i am totally thrilled. it's not going to bring kathy back but i feel vindicated. and i also feel it's been such a long time in coming. >> reporter: authorities fighting to extradite durst back to california may disagree. the lapd would not confirm any connection between the new evidence they say they have and the documentary. and so far there's been no explanation for why durst was arrested the night before the final installment of that series aired. lester. >> stephanie gosk in new orleans. thank you. cynthia mcfadden is our senior legal correspondent. cynthia, we don't know the entire case the prosecution has, but what about that statement made in the restroom?

admissible? and what about the two envelopes? >> lester the truthful answer is it depends. remember robert durst has money to hire the best lawyers in the country. he was represented by the same team today that he was when he was acquitted of murder in a case where he admitted to dismembering a body. so having said that the audio from the bathroom the lawyers are most probably going to argue was not a confession at all. but rather the kind of mutterings we all do under our breath which aren't necessarily truthful. prosecutor's going to say that should be up for a jury to decide. as for the envelopes, probably the prosecutor's going to have to prove a chain of custody as well as get some experts in there about handwriting. on balance i suspect the judge will likely admit both pieces of evidence but i have to tell you legal experts are really divided on these two questions. >> all right, cynthia mcfadden, thank you. in the boston marathon bombing trial today, key testimony from a police officer about that shootout between police and the tsarnaev brothers. the jury also left the courtroom for an upclose look at the

boat dzhokhar tsarnaev was hiding in when it came to an end. our justice correspondent pete williams was back in the courtroom today. >> reporter: watertown police say they feared for their lives three days after the bombing. >> a state police officer at the scene suggested there were two people they had. >> reporter: when they caught up with the two marathon bombing suspects. police say the brothers jumped out of their cars in this quiet neighborhood and began shooting and throwing bombs. they say when police tackled tamerlan about here dzhokhar jumped in his car and escaped, running over his brother as he fled. police say during the shootout the brothers used the carjacked suv as cover. one officer told nbc news a month after the bombing that he came face-to-face with tamerlan. >> he was about six or eight feet from me firing his pistol at me. i was firing at him. i ran out of ammunition ammunition. >> reporter: tamerlan ran out of bullets but stopped in the street. >> i stood up and chased after him.

>> reporter: sergeant mcclellan said at one point, i was afraid i was going to be killed. at some point dzhokhar tsarnaev got back in the suv at the other end of the block instead of driving straight ahead where no police were waiting, he turned around and drove toward them and his brother who was lying in the street. the day for the jury began with a trip about a mile from the courthouse to see the actual boat riddled with bullet holes where dzhokhar tsarnaev hid after he escaped the shootout. >> it's very unusual to have a field trip outside the courtroom during a criminal trial, especially when there's security concerns as there would be in this case. that said it's certainly not unprecedented. >> reporter: reporters who went with the jury to inspect the boat say dzhokhar tsarnaev appeared placid. seeing for the first time in two years the spot where he hid. the jury hears more about that tomorrow. lester. >> pete thank you. the man accused of shooting two police officers during a protest in ferguson missouri last week was arraigned today in court. prosecutors claim jeffrey williams has

admitted firing the shots though it's not clear to them whether he was actually targeting the officers. williams did not have an attorney present in court today. there is mass devastation tonight on an island made famous to american tv viewers on "survivor" following a direct hit by a monster storm. dozens are confirmed dead on vanautu. many are missing and thousands homeless with the tolls expected to rise dramatically. nbc's miguel almaguer is there for us tonight. miguel what are you seeing. >> reporter: lester good evening. many in this nation are in a state of shock. this picturesque harbor is now a symbol of the disaster. the death toll here is expected to soar as officials search for the missing in communities that have literally been washed away. locals are calling their devastated island nation hell on earth. boats smashed, roads washed away power out. homes, bridges and hospitals are destroyed. >> it was terrifying. the whole room was

like it was raining inside. >> food no. no light. all of our gardens are destroyed by the wind. >> reporter: a direct hit from a category 5 monster storm. with winds of nearly 200 miles an hour. >> i've never seen or heard anything like that noise. it was frightening. >> reporter: what the winds didn't rip apart the ocean swallowed. on outer islands locals tell us entire villages are washed away. vanuatu is a poor country also known as a paradise. the setting for the reality show "survivor" in 2004. this weekend haley and trent williams saw their dream honeymoon become a nightmare. >> a beautiful resort just rubble. >> flattened. >> reporter: the true death toll may not be known here for weeks. this is what search teams are up against, a landscape that's been ripped apart and redefined. finding anyone in

something like this would be a miracle. tonight, the storm is passed leaving behind one of the worst disasters to ever ravage the pacific. what do you do now? >> i don't know. i don't know what to do now. >> reporter: tonight, military from neighboring nations are arriving at the local airport here to assist with aid and the search and rescue. that number of missing and the death toll is expected to climb over the next several days. lester. >> miguel almaguer tonight, thank you. tonight, we've learned the names of the four louisiana national guardsmen who were killed when their chopper crashed off the florida coast during a training mission last week. those names are chief ward officers george griffin jr. and george strother and staff sergeant lance bergeron and lance. all worked either hurricane katrina or gulf oil spill and three served in iraq. they were killed alongside seven

marines whose names were released last week. a cliffhanger election in israel. prime minister netanyahu said no palestinian state will be developed under his watch. polls show netanyahu in real danger of losing with his party trailing a major rival. the election that could have ripple effects globally as the u.s. tries to hammer out a nuclear deal with iran. in four days the moment many of us have been waiting for will finally arrive the official start of spring and not a moment too soon for the people of boston. they saw their official snow total for the season reach over nine feet yesterday. that breaks the all-time record for winter misery. our ron mott is there with more. >> reporter: while boston is happy to brag about its sports championships, this title is one the city isn't keen to celebrate. boston's mayor even tweeted, no parade. >> i've had enough of winter. too much snow. >> reporter: the first major storm hit boston on january 22nd with

22 inches of snow. by the end of the month the city had just over 34 inches and counting. in february nearly 65 inches fell overwhelming shovels and plows. after yesterday's 2.9 inches boston's snowiest winter since 1872 a record 108.6 inches. boston's logan airport hard hit too with more than 6,300 flights canceled because of snow. with so much snow and no place to put it massive snow farms popped up all over the city. and with roads impassable impassable public transportation at a standstill and sidewalks treacherous this winter business at ronny's sandwich shop was off 25%. >> really put a halt on business in the city. >> reporter: while spring is just a few days away reminders of this record winter will be around for a while. >> you'll probably see those piles continue and last well into may and perhaps even early june. >> reporter: now, tonight the mayor's office tells nbc news the city has spent the

day just under $50 million on snow removal and cleanup this winter. that's well beyond the $18.5 million budgeted. so the city is going to petition the state and federal governments for reimbursement to try and make up some of that difference lester. >> quite a sight, ron mott thank you. dolce and cabana respondsing over comments of children born with the help of in vitro fertly liilization fertilization. elton john leading a boycott of the kpan. >> reporter: the anger lit up social media with parents posting pictures of their kids online and the terms synthetic baby and boycott dolcecabana trending. they told an italian magazine you are born and you have a father and mother. that's why i'm not convinced by chemical

children children. the two men, a former couple themselves once spoke to "vanity fair" about once wanting a family would seem to come out against not just adoption but in vitro fertilization. sir elton john fired off a blistering response on instagram and called for a boycott saying shame on you for wagging your judgmental little fingers. but it also struck a nerve with many other parents, gay and straight. in the u.s. alone some 60,000 ivf children are born yearly including jen's 3-year-old son michael. >> these children should not be diminished and valued because of how they were conceived. >> reporter: they insist they never intended to judge. in fact this morning gabana accused elton john of being the intolerant one. to them it's about freedom of opinion. >> i think the social ethical idea of free speech should probably apply even to really

controversial speech, even speech that angers people. >> reporter: and like it or not it got people talking. katy tur, nbc news london. big medical news still ahead tonight. blockbuster new drugs unveil that could be life changing for millions with high cholesterol. dream home and the toenail fungus? don't hide it... tackle it with fda-approved jublia! jublia is a prescription medicine proven to treat toenail fungus. use jublia as instructed by your doctor. once applied jublia gets to the site of infection by going under, around and through the nail. most common side effects include ingrown toenail, application-site redness itching, swelling, burning or stinging, blisters, and pain. tackle it! ask your doctor now if jublia is right for you. i have a cold with terrible chest congestion. i better take something. theraflu severe cold doesn't treat chest congestion. really? new alka-seltzer plus day powder rushes relief to your

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cholesterol cholesterol. there's a new class of drugs and it could help a lot of people who have trouble keeping it under control. in experiments so far patients have seen dramatic drops in cholesterol levels reducing their risk of heart attacks and strokes. nbc's rehema ellis has details. >> reporter: 71 million americans have high cholesterol. a major risk factor for heart attack and stroke. but for some taking cholesterol lowering drugs called statins, both measures sometimes just aren't enough to reduce the threat of cardiovascular disease. >> genetics plays a pretty significant role in people's cholesterol levels. so in spite of their efforts to lower their ldl with drugs or exercise or diet they just can't get the levels low enough. >> reporter: results from a new study show an investigational drug significantly lowered ldl, the so-called bad cholesterol, by as much as 60%. that's above and beyond the benefit of statins alone.

>> these drugs increase the activity of receptors in the liver that actually pull cholesterol out of the bloodstream. and if you give both drugs together those receptors become so active that they're literally sucking the cholesterol out of the blood. >> reporter: the drug called evolocumab could be approved by the fda later this year. it's designed to be injected every two to four weeks. the hope the drug's benefits will prevent patients who already have cardiovascular disease from having heart attacks and strokes. something the study suggested but was not designed to prove. though further tests for safety will be needed for millions of americans struggling with our country's number one health problem this new study is promising news. rehema ellis, nbc news new york. up next here tonight after a bizarre disappearance, a big mystery solved,

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the mystery is over tonight in russia though not exactly solved. president vladimir putin appeared today in public for the first time in 11 days. he did not explain where he'd been but he did chuckle at the rumors and gossip which included everything from the flu to slipping out of the country to attend the birth of his lovechild. the thrill of victory quickly turned to agony in defeat. georgia state's head coach ron hunter was jumping around celebrating for his son who scored the winning basket in yesterday's game when the coach apparently tore his achilles tendon. he had to be helped off the court. the win was enough to clinch a spot in the march madness tournament. if you're filling out a bracket this year good luck. we're told the odds of nailing a perfect

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if you've ever daydreamed about leaving behind the daily grind and becoming your own boss there's a contest in maine you need to hear about. a beautiful bed and breakfast could be yours for practically nothing, but only if you come up with the right combination of words to claim it. nbc's harry smith takes us there. >> reporter: winter has been reluctant to let go this year in the white mountains of western maine, but janice says she knows it's time for her to move on. >> i have a lot of packing to do. >> reporter: janice is the owner and proprietor of this center level inn. really sweet. >> thank you. >> reporter: after 22 years it's someone else's turn. >> the phone's been ringing off the hook. >> reporter: and that's because janice isn't selling the place. she's practically giving it away. >> no liens or mortgages. >> reporter: just the deed. >> exactly. yes. >> reporter: that's a pretty good deal. interested?

send in a check for $125 and write a short essay explaining why you should be the one to take over. do you have a minimum number of entries you feel like you need to get? >> i would like to get 7,500. >> reporter: if enough people participate, it creates a pile of crash for the owner and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity opportunity, which is exactly how she came to win in the 1990s. a contest she won on tv. >> i did on a wing and a prayer and look what happened. >> reporter: the inn stays busy from spring through fall. the winter will find themselves looking to replace a local legend. you're smart, you're funny, you're charming as all get out, right? >> thank you. >> reporter: this is a one of a kind property. >> uh-huh. >> reporter: but how do you replace a one of a kind you? >> hopefully with somebody like that. yeah. we'll see. >> reporter: harry

smith, nbc news maine. and that will do it for us on this monday night. i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc news thank you for watching and good night. did kate hudson just land another rock star boyfriend? brand new bikini pics with gwyneth's ex chris martin. >> now on "extra." ♪ ♪ extra extra ♪ shocking new couples gossip. kate and chris in malibu as he's

hit with a burning question. >> kate hudson your new girlfriend? more couples news p brad and angelina's pda fest. sofia vergara is taking on the rumors she put her i dos on the back burner. and kim k.'s tmi confessions about kanye. and justin bieber ripped and roasted. >> we're about to give this boy a [ bleep ] whooping he deserves. >> nothing is off limits. >> "extra" is along for the ride from l.a. to his las vegas birthday party. and who justin apologized to after the show. kathy griffin on spin control pr tour after quitting "fashion police." >> why she asked her star friends to speak out for her. plus all the hookups and stripdowns from tonight's "dwts" premiere. >> speed yoes bikinis, yeah. this is "extra" at universal studios hollywood, the entertainment capital of l.a.