about a half hour ago. prosecutors say the evidence against him is overwhelming. they say they have a videotaped confession in which dennis admits to fighting with his mother yesterday morning after she scolded him for not taking his medication. they say he admits to putting her in a chokehold, dragging her into the pool, walking her into the deep end and then dragging her back out and taking a train to the city where he confessed this all to his sister. 23-year-old dennis cullen walked silently from the precinct on his way to court this morning, charged with mother, 63-year-old elizabeth cullen. lloyd harbor police were responding to a request to check on the woman in her home at 70 white hill road around 4:00 p.m. on wednesday. that's when they found her dead in the back yard. >> at approximately 3:45 lloyd harbor respond ised to the scene -- responded to the scene and found the deceased who was later determined to be elizabeth cullen in the back yard. the evidence suggested that she

the call indicated. >>reporter: investigators believe elizabeth drown in her back yard pool, hidden behind bushes and fence on the three- acre property. the suffolk county homicide department was called in an not two hours later dennis cullen returned home where he lived with his mother and put under arrest. >> while we were processing the scene, that's when he returned to the scene and we placed him unarrest meal, and that was at approximately 5:50 p.m. >>reporter: in an affluent neighborhood with houses spread across grassy acres, neighbors were hesitant to comment. >> it's tragic and i'm going to talk. >>reporter: but remember elizabeth cullen as a kind neighbor and mother. what was she like? >> lovely. lovely. >>reporter: good mother? >> yeah, great mom. great mom. >>reporter: cullen's defense attorney says he does have a history of mental illness. authorities say he has no criminal history, but if found guilty he faces 25 years to life in state prison. we're live in the suffolk county courthouse, ali bauman, cbs 2 news. >> ali, thank you. breaking news this noon in the ryan lochte investigation.

robbed at gunpoint appear to be false. according to a brazilian police official. cbs 2's meg baker is following the latest developments live in the newsroom. meg. >>reporter: andrea, new details just revealed, a brazilian official investigating the olympians' claims says that the swimmers broke down a bathroom door at a gas station, a security guard did approach them. he confronted them. the official says the guard was armed with a pistol, but he never took that pistol out or ai airport where jack conger and gunnar bentz were pulled off their u.s.-bound plane and briefly detained. after a brazilian judge ordered their passports seized, saying there is little evidence to support the story that four members of the men's swim team, including ryan locte and jimmy feigen were robbed at gunpoint in rio. >> they pulled us over, they pulled out their guns, they told the other swimmers to get

claimed thieves posing as police officers pulled guns on them as they took a taxi home from a party at france's hospitality house. but authorities say their stories aren't matching up. >> they said they spoke to lochte so it wasn't true. i guess the story may change, but i can only tell you you need to go to yusap to get the facts. >>reporter: this is surveillance footage of the teammates returning to the olympic village around 7:00 a.m. on sunday morning alleged robbery. in this video is from the daily mail, you can see the teammates go through security to get back inside. the brazilian judge also noted that the swimmers do not appear shaken. lochte returned to the u.s. earlier this week. lawyers for the swimmers say they will not be allowed to leave the country until they provide a testimony about the robbery which they have yet to do. lochte defended his claims on social media and his attorney says that brazilian officials

criticism of problems at the rio games. live in the newsroom, meg baker, cbs 2 news. police on the hunt for a man who robbed an off-duty police officer in the bronx. it happened just before 7:00 last night on clinton avenue near crotona park. police say the man grabbed the necklaces the officer was wearing, there was a struggle, and the officer fired one shot. police say the robber was not hit and ran off. a court appearance scheduled today for a man accused of randomly slashing a woman's face in chelsea. 41-year-old kerry braisemore is criminal possession of a weapon. police say surveillance video captured his attack on 24-year- old amanda morris back in january. his lawyers have indicated they may pursue a psychiatric defense. well, people in a new jersey neighborhood that was flooded by superstorm sandy are fed up with one of the residents who say they've just left the property to rot. they say that the town is done little to address the mess as well. now, the owner of the home in moonachie says it was heavily damaged in superstorm sandy and since then he's waited for help

and insurance companies to make repairs. in the meantime, neighbors say the unsightly property is more than just an eyesore. >> we can't stay outside. we get bit. we get bit by mosquitoes. >> one day is too long when you live next to a piece of property that's like this. >> a homeowner tells cbs 2 that he has been dealing with family health issues and financial trouble,ed adding he recently paid a $500 fine and has made efforts to clean the property in the past. the stubborn blue cut wildfire continues to rage out of control in california. it's threa m grows. firefighters say they've never seen anything like it. cbs 2's carter evans reports. >>reporter: one look at the huge walls of flame in san bernardino county and the frustration of firefighters becomes clear. >> the biggest thing was we had to continually retreat against that advancing wall of fire, and that was something that i haven't witnessed in this section ever. we have strike teams here. and, remember, our priorities, life, property and infrastructure. and lives also include

through here late wednesday afternoon, scorching almost everything in its path, but it's these spot fires that remain that are still endangering homes. on tuesday the fire tore through neighborhoods in the community of feelen with home after home going up in flames. it was only after smoke cleared wednesday that we could see the full extent of the devastation. the fire fight continued on the ground and from the air. this wildfire now stretches more boulevard to wrightwood which remains under mandatory evacuation orders. despite the threat, some there say they're staying put. how bad would it have to get here for you to leave? >> it would have to be really close. >> this is a clean one. >> oh, this is mine. >>reporter: but ericancholi isn't taking any chances. >> we sat up all night watching it. and when they say it goes fast, it goes fast, okay? they're not kidding.

hazardous, windy red flag conditions that make it so difficult for firefighters to fight this fire. we're expected to have those conditions through 9:00 p.m. tonight. that means it's going to be hot and dry, perfect conditions for a wildfire. carter evans, cbs news, wrightwood, california. >> the death toll in louisiana's severe flooding has now risen to 13. state officials say 6,000 people remain in shelters, that's down from more than 11.000 earlier in the week. more than 40,000 homes have been damaged. in baton rouge where the water has already receded, homeowners are process. homeland security secretary jeh johnson will visit louisiana today to review the federal government's response. there is much more ahead on cbs 2 news at noon. it is 30 years since the preppie murder shocked the city. >> am i a monster? no. >> robert chambers served his time and tried to turn his life around, so what happened? truck tunnel on a busy new jersey -- truck trouble on a busy new jersey highway. trucks on the side of the

three american hurdlers do something that has not been done before. all right. we got cloudy skies right now. will showers and storms return for the afternoon forecast, and what about your weekend? i've got some details coming

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new jersey police are warning drivers about a danger on the interstate. >> they say a shortage of rest areas is forcing truck drivers

be safe. cbs 2's lou young has more on the truck trouble. >>reporter: night on the interstate, the parked trucks loom up suddenly on the right shoulder, one after another. police say it's a tragedy waiting to happen. >> we've already experienced accidents and fatalities. >>reporter: this is i-287 where it dips down from new york state into northern new jersey. long-haul truckers coming from all directions use this stretch of highway to rest up. >> let's take a break. >>reporter: how long? >> half an the traffic danger is apparent even in daylight. >> so it widens to three lanes here. if you're not paying attention, you might suspect that for moving traffic and make a bad mistake: >>reporter: do you like staying in a place like this? it doesn't seem safe. >> no, i don't. number one, it's noisy. number two, it's dangerous. >>reporter: but safer than

interstate are few and small, and inadequate, experts say, for highway commerce in a strengthening economy. the mayor of mawagh, new jersey where these truckers pause knows the drivers are in a bind. >> i just think there has to be a close look from an interstate highway system to address the needs of these truckers who that if my mawagh police move them along, they're actually breaking the law because they have to stop to rest. >>reporter: you look tired. >> well, we pretty much stay tired. >>reporter: and he full, that's why he and others are here. there is a large truck rest area along the new york state thruway, but nothing on the jersey side of the line. down here they say they really need it, but the problem is the property in this part of jersey would cost $5 million just for the property alone in a state where the transportation trust fund is broke. we're in mawagh, new jersey, lou young, cbs 2 2 news. >> legally truck drivers can only drive 11 hours a day, and

stop or get fined. coming up we look back at the preppie murder in central park 30 years since it made headlines. and the rain isn't over just yet. find out if it's going to wash out your weekend outdoor plans next. i am totally blind. i lost my sight in afghanistan. if you're totally blind, you may also be struggling with non-24. calling 844-844-2424.

30 years this month a

the city and it was soon the headline on tabloids across the country. >> the suspect robert chambers was dubbed the preppie killer. 48 hours richard schlesinger has the story. >> over here. over here. >>reporter: in august 1986 robert chambers made headlines for killing his friend jennifer levine in new york's central park. >> i didn't mean to hurt her. i like her very much. >>reporter: he was handsome and privileged abthe press called him the preppie killer, but to police he was just a 19- year-old kid with an unlikely story that seemed to blame the victim for her own killing. >> raping you in the park? >> she was having her way with me without my consent. >>reporter: he always said he struck her to make her stop. police never believed that story and chambers was charged with murder. he pled guilty to first-degree

years in prison. when he was released, he gave his only interview to troy roberts of "48 hours." >> i was responsible for her death. there is no question about that. >>reporter: you admitted guilt, but you did not intend to kill her? >> i don't believe i intended to kill her at all. >> everything he said about how she died is absolutely untrue. she was frantically fighting for her . no. if i were a monster, i wouldn't care, but i do. this is the paralegal course i have taken. >>reporter: chambers hoped he could put his life back together, but life didn't work out as he plan. >> "48 hours" correspondent richard schlesinger joins us here live. we see the last shot of chambers right there, we see him in handcuffs. we know that last prison term

of altercations. >> he was doing drugs while he was in prison. i mean, this is a guy who has struggled with drugs and his own demons for years, and, you know, after he got out of prison the struggle didn't end. so we'll show you what happened to him. it's not a pretty story, but it's pretty amazing. >> can you give us a little hint? we have to watch, of course. >>reporter: let me just tell you, at one point troy roberts asked him in this extraordinary interview he said, and i wrote this down, he said -- he asked chambers how he could dumb, and chambers said that seems to be a theme that runs through many of the things i do. and i'll just say that over time robert chambers knows himself very well. >> thank you. we look forward to watching this story. and you can catch richard's story "the prep qui killer" saturday night right here on cbs 2 at 10:00. >> look forward to that. now we're looking forward to this weather forecast. it's been humid, not so humid, humid again. >> a mixed bag. >> let's bring in vanessa murdock in for john elliot this

so today we're in the feeling it range. it's going to be oppressive again by sunday. i know, you guys just smirking at me. i just want to say you're not happy about this, i know. here is the setup. all the way through the weekend we have a chance for showers and storms, humidity is on the rise. but the payoff is big time, tuesday, wednesday, thursday, hopefully even friday the forecast is looking amazing. but, of course, i know you wish the weekend forecast was looking amazing. it's not a washout. it's just not perfect. our weather watchers rig the clouds are going to clear on out, 79 degrees says elena. she's got mostly cloudy skies in brooklyn, 79 as well as we look up toward tim jones. he was the one asking if this was going to clear up. i think many people probably want to hit the beach today, and the good news is we will see more breaks of sun than we have right now. will it be a completely sunny day? for some, but not in the city. we don't expect that in the city. in fact, later today showers

winds are calm, relative humidity 62%. your allergy forecast for today is a 9. that's medium to high, and essentially we flirt with that medium to high range all the way through your weekend, ragweed, metal, grasses, your predominant pollens. uv index today is an 8, that's a burn time of 20 minutes. your air quality is good. your humid, as mentioned, is rising. your pressure is dropping. with that, what's happening out there, we've got a little bit of what we call a trough mo on through later today, bringing us another chance of showers and storms. out there right now, though overcast skies, not much in the way of weather, but we will likely see just a little bit more of activity as the day advances. i want to show you the big picture to show you this relief on the way. this cold front well out to the west rolls through sunday night into monday, and after that this is our mid-week relief, a big area of high pressure carrying much cooler and dryer air with it. so we're talking about

70s. well, after that with that mid- week relief, dewpoints are going to be into the 40s and 50s. it's going to feel fabulous. hour by hour what can you expect? this afternoon, again, maybe a stray shower, possibly a storm. overnight it settles down again. then tomorrow mixture of sunshine an clouds, chance yet again of afternoon showers and storms. and your weekend not looking perfect, folks. showers and storms are possible saturday. better bet of more organized activity on su forecast. for this afternoon 85, feels like 87, 20% chance. 87 tomorrow feels closer to 90 with a 20% chance of a shower or storm. saturday 87, better bet then, but best bet of storms late sunday into monday and then you see those numbers on tuesday and wednesday, 80 and 83. nothing but sunshine and low humidity. >> bring it on. >> low humidity, nice. thank you, vanessa. >> you're welcome. fresh grocer tony tantillo is in the produce aisle with a

tried called pluots. well today's tip of the day is yellow pluots. i've done many segments on plums. this is like a plum, apricot combination. at first there were just two or three varieties. now there's dozens of varieties of these ap apricots, plums, pluots and let me tell you something, they're beautiful. they all taste different, look different, flavor profile out of this world an refreshing doesn't that look beautiful? when you buy them, you want to make sure they have the nice beautiful color all the way around. you want to make sure they're free from any type of bruising and any type of slifling. when you bring them home, simply store them -- here's the key now, on your counter, not in the refrigerator. high sugar content, so they're not going to last long. what you want to do them and enjoy them in two or three days at the very most. it's like dessert out of hand,

i'm tony tantillo. your fresh grocer, eat healthy. >> we have a guy cutting into our fruit in aisle two. >> exactly. when we come back, women's beach volleyball team a favorite to win but they fell short. find out if they're going home

now to the olympic games

an incredible run for u.s. women on the trablg last night, earning -- on the track last night, earning six medals in the course of just about an hour, and that included a historic first. three american women had never taken gold, silver and bronze at the same track event in the same olympics. but last night bree anna rollins, nia li and kristy castlin did just that, earning a spot on the podium in the 100- meter hurdle finally. >> after three ec medals, kerry walsh jennings taking gold with her partner, fighting back against the brazilian "b" team. and the worldest fastest man usain bolt finishing first in the 200 meters. they sure look relaxed doing it, laughing their way across the finish line, both qualifying for the upcoming final in the 200, bolt going for another goal. >> easy for them. coming up on cbs 2 news

controversy over some big names offering a town big money to keep people away from their homes. and then at 6:00, the first world city with third- world streets, potholes, uneven pavement, roadways in shambles. cbs 2 is demanding answers from the people responsible for our roadways. those stories and much more on cbs 2 news beginning at 5:00. that's going to do it for us at noon. for vanessa and the entire cbs 2 news team, i'm chris wragge >> i'm andrea grymes. we'll see you tomorrow morning at 4:30.

>> chelsea: you want to read it again, connor? okay. [ smooches ] you got it. whatever you want. [ sighs ] "dear connor, i am going to do everything i can to make sure i'm home next year, so we can celebrate your birthday the way we should -- together. you, me, and mommy. happy birthday, little man.lo >> chloe: [ sighs ] adam doesn't deserve to step foot outside the prison. >> victor: for your information, my son has suffered immeasurably. >> chloe: good letter, huh? >> chloe: mm-hmm. yeah. he got all of these toys and games for his birthday, yet the note is his favorite gift. isn't it? >> chloe: that's so awesome. hey, i bet you're gonna get an