myers, florida to boston. state police say the elderly man died of natural causes. home in time for thanksgiving. a judge today ruling former house speaker sal dimasi will be granted an early release from prison as he battles health problems. maria: dimasi's wife giving her only on camera interview to newscenter 5's janet wu janet? janet: 71-year-old sal dimasi will fly home next tuesday from north carolina where he is now incarcerated. his family had hoped for his rele b got the telephone call this morning. debbie dimasi has spent four years trying to get her husband, the former house speaker convicted of extortion and fraud, better medical care. today, judge mark wolf who sentenced dimasi said his fragile and unstable health warrants compassionate release. >> when i heard it was utter shock and disbelief. it's sinking in slightly.

him and walk with him out of the prison and fly him home it will be amazing and that's when i'll really believe it. >> since entering prison in 2011, dimasi has been treated for neck, tongue and prostate cancer. radiation has damaged his esophagus so that he can only swallow liquids and puree foods. his wife said he is 70 pounds lighter than the day he was sentenced and needs better medical treatment. >> his swallowing is the biggest concern. he has not been able to eat he's nourishment. >> dimasi will not have to wear an electronic bracelet but is confined to his home for at least six months. he may only leave for medical visits and religious observances. >> i think the decision was warranted, i give credit to the u.s. attorneys office for their recommendation. >> since 2013, only 11 federal inmates have received a reduced sentence like dimasi based on compassionate release. judge mark wolf said others appeared to have been more the judge said however, his -- decision was not based on the

dimasi before he succeeded him as state representative from the north end. >> i don't think it was political favoritism. it's because of the health care he needs. he's paid a significant price, it's time for him to come home . >> the speaker also said the house will take another look at legislation for massachusetts allowing compassionate release for the elderly and the ill now in state prisons. >> donald trump is a phony, a fraud. his ed: mitt romney not mincing any words when talking about donald trump before the election. but the two may be working together soon. the men are set to meet this weekend to discuss a potential role for romney in president-elect trump's cabinet maybe secretary of state. ,maria: of vermont college student will spend the next 3.5 years behind bars after he drove drunk and killed his best friend in a car crash.

convicted of motor vehicle homicide and manslaughter in the death of craig sampson. castano was visiting his childhood friend at endicott college in beverly last april, when he crashed the car they were in into a utility pole. craig sampson's father hopes his family's suffering serves as a message. >> i hope that our loss, as painful as it is, can m having the same loss. maria: a very emotional trial there. castano will also serve three year's probation and will lose his driver's license for 15 years. ed: lots of tears in the courtroom today at the sentencing re-trial of gary sampson, as the loved ones of the 3 men he killed took the stand. newscenter 5's sera congi is live at the federal courthouse in south boston. >> i could see some of those

publicly for a second time in the retrial of gary sampson. >> all we can do is put everything out there as we see it, feel it. we can't control that. >> micheal rizzo put everything out there on the witness stand today, about his oldest son jonathan rizzo. >> he was a regular kid he was a good kid, he did a lot of good things, he had a lot of promise and i think people shld know that. >> the 19-year-old was one of three victims killed by gary sampson in a violent spree in 2001 across massachusetts and new hampshire. sampson now 57, had been sentenced to death, but won a new trial on appeal. today family members of the victims took the stand. >> they've been listening for weeks about clinical testimony about the crime scene and autopsies, who the people are get lost in there. that's what this is aboutit's not about anything else except for phil jonathan and eli. mary rizzo, jonathans mother moved many in the courtroom to

officers who notified her about her son's death. shtold the court, so i grabbed this really cozy blanket. i gave it to them. i was wanted him covered up. i wanted my hands, my love on that blanket put on him. they promised me they would do that. >> were happy it's over. we hope we got the point across, these were regular good people and hopefully and everyone will remember that. case today. the defense begins on monday a e direction they will be taking during opening argument. s long said gary spson's rain has been broken for a long time now.

no one was hurt. maria: we're learning more tonight about what happened before this car drove onto the commuter rail tracks in revere and got slammed by a train. both men inside managing to get right out of the mangles mess and take off. newscenter 5's nichole berlie is ve at the scene. nie, theriver did entual turn el. >> that's right. facing multiple charges. both men inside that car lucky to be alive tonight. watch as the car is litera t in half. >> i was in shock. >> this surveillance video shows the car go around the safety gates on oak island road at glendale street in revere about 10:30 wednesday night. you could see the commuter train going full speed, smash right into the car.

. >> i saw two young guys run out. i don't know what direction they went. >> amazingly, both men inside the car survived. you could see them running from the scene. >> i couldn't believe it. >> police say just moments before the accident, the men had been fleeing from a traffic accident just blocks away. they ended up here, safe and lucky to be alive. facing multiple charges including leaving the scene of an accident. ed: new at 6:00, boston grand prix ticket holders left without refunds finally getting some relief. 5 investigates has details on money now being returned. maria: the fbi is calling that guy the spelling bee robert.

denver went from 89 yesterday to 29. our change won't be that big,

maria: it's now been 24 hours since investigators revealed a new clue in the killing of ed: they're looking for a vehicle spotted near the murder scene in princeton. newscenter 5's david bienick is live tonight with what residents think about the chances this case will be solved, david? david: good evening. the description of the vehicle could not be more vague. but residents say it proves one thing, that investigators are not giving up. the lush green leaves of summer have now faded and fallen from the trees near the spot along this country road where vanessa marcotte's body was found more

>> the whole thing is so mysterious and strange. david this woman, who lives : nearby, asked us not to show her face because marcotte's killer is still on the loose and she fears he might strike again. >> i used to be a runner. i don't even run on the street at all. david in this hilltop town of : 3,400 where the boston skyline is barely visible justice for vanessa signs dot front lawns. the murder has caused some families to start locking their doors. >> we feel pretty safe, but we are attention to our surroundings. david this new clue, that : witnesses spotted a dark suv near the scene on the day marcotte was killed, has given some people hope the case has not gone cold. so has the fact investigators have been asking men in town to submit dna samples. >> any developments, whether they can rule something now or come to a line of thinking, that is positive. david but until vanessa

the same. >> you always think that when you are in the country you are very safe, far from the madding crowd. it doesn't feel like that anymore. david when we were back at the : scene today, two state police investigators pulled up and asked us what we were doing. they say they do that with every vehicle spotted there. live in princeton, david bienick, wcvb newscenter 5. ed:ha maria: back live in dorchester where we told you a homeowner shot and killed a man.

maria: we continue to follow that breaking news of a deadly

it happened, it's a brick home, number 20. it came in as an intruder shot by a homeowner, but we now know it was two men who knew each other who got into an argument which escalated and ended in gunfire. the manner estimated to be in their late 20's and early 30's, including the man who is now dead. the other man is in custody and is now being interrogated. we are told we have a weapon but we can tell people this is not random, there is no danger to the public. we will continue to cover this and let you know. ed: 5 investigates with some welcome news for ticket holders of the cancelled boston grand prix race. refunds are finally here. the state attorney general's office sent out $650,000 in checks to more than 1100 consumers. each person getting a full refund. the money comes from a settlement with the national indy car organization.

essentially empty, leaving no money for ticket holders. boston grand prix filed for bankruptcy and now several businesses and creditors are fighting to get hundreds of thousands of dollars returned. maria: new at 6:00 the fbi is , searching for a man they've dubbed the spelling bee bandit , even if he doesn't live up to the nickname. the suspect is believed to be responsible for 3 similar last two weeks. he has a local accent, and in every case puts on sunglasses after entering the bank. he then writes robery, with one b, on the back of a withdrawal slip, and passes the demand note to the teller. police say he's getting more aggressive with each robbery. a $1000 reward is being offered for information. ed: harvey is joining us now.

this will be a weekend of change. the weekend will end very differently than it arts but you still have some great weather to enjoy tomorrow. today it made it to the 50's and even a low 60's. the clouds have pretty much gone. notice there's a storm developing offshore but most of it will stay offshore. slightly windy conditions for the outer cape tomorrow and maybe a few clouds starting with the rest of us are in great shape. the wind picked up so we're in the 40's north and west, dropping down to 42 in jaffrey and 40's to around 50 to the south of us. these will be the temperatures early tomorrow starting out in the 30's and low 40's. look at these temperatures, even now it's still quite mild all the way to cincinnati and

tomorrow so that is the good news there. a little cooler on the cape or theinds will be out of the noh but a beautiful y for most. what a change has occurred out west, you see a ribbon of snow out there, so that heavy like around rapid t cell decoder, and a lot of wind as well. they have both winter storm warning and blizzard warnings and if that -- that part of the country. a whole different ballgame here, i pressure and control friday. saturday still looks like a pretty decent da cs will a east and close to the coast line before the day is out, and eventually from the west as well. mainly clear tomorrow, a golden day around here, a bonus day for this time of year. there are the clouds on that are

eventually clouds from the west. when the cold air is set to arrive sunday, there could be a ribbon of snow in western and northern massachusetts, so you follow it right here and especially the mountains of vermont. it may be good news for the ski areas. here is where there could be some snow accumulation. the change to wind and cold you will really stto especially during the day sunday through monday. after that it looks tranquil tuesday and wednesday but chilly. it looks pretty chilly and it wouldn't take much for it to be snow or part of the area might get snow on thanksgiving. chilly rain seems like the most likely thing around boston but we are a week out so we will

sportscenter 5, powered by xfinity. mike: the american league mvp award was just announce seconds ago and mookie betts finished second to mike trout of the angels. listen to the numbers for mookie betts. 113 runs batted in, stole 26 basis, 200 14 hits. the third most in red sox history. mike trouts first -- my most favorite player. he finishes in second place, he's only 23 years old and i bet he will be back. in four games under 500 about him in the lineup. bob halloran has more from foxborough.

no rob gronkowski on the practice field for a second straight day and no immediate accessibility for tom brady. >> the most important thing is the club. turnovers, takeaways, is the most important thing in football. >> the patriots give it and take it away, just not that much of either. patriots 26th in the league in the all-important giveaway takeaway category. >> you have to take pride in just having good ball security.

where we meet the girls cross country team which honored their late coats last weekend by running the race of their young lives for someone who enriched their lives as well as those of countless others. for more than 3 decades boys and girls in woburn have been discovering the joy of running at an early age. it carried them into, through and beyond high school. and the man who exposed them all to this wonderful sport was bill o'connor who coached track and cross country at woburn high school for as long as anyone can remember. >> he made us want to work had just for the love of the sport not winning championships be , about being passionate, being successful for each other not , for one individual person, on october 15 bill o'connor lost his 9 year battle with cancer. the bridge that bears his name at horn pond, the tanners home course, became an instant shrine

also still more than a month remaining in the cross country season. >> do you think of him as you are pounding away? of course when i'm tired i think >> of coach and it keeps me going through the race and workouts and everything. >> using all the mental and physical skills taught by coach o'connor, the girls went on to win the middlesex league title and on november 12 they honored their late coach by winning the division to eastern massachusetts championship. >> instead of mourning they -- they did what they had to do. >> we knew it was what he would've wanted. we knew he would want us -- he wouldn't want us sitting around feeling sorry because he wasn't there.

it's ironic because he said the rain only bothers drive people. >> good luck. >> we proudly salute the woburn girls cross country team and their late coach bill o'connor is this week's high 5. >> bill o'connor coached up until five days before he passed away. one more team race this saturday, but these young ladies will enjoy running her longtime thanks to coach o'connor.

newscenter 5 at 7:00, we told you about the man called the spelling bee bandit. >> tonight at 11:00, a fistfight takes a terrifying turn when a

maria: we continue to follow that breaking news, a deadly shooting in dorchester. ed: we will see you in a half hour. we all have purple on for pancreatic cancer awareness day.

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tonight, breaking news. will it be a team of rivals? president-elect donald trump, now set to meet with mitt romney after both traded bitter words during the campaign. is romney now being considered for secretary of state? we're at trump tower. also breaking, the deadly snowstorm, bracing for the blizzard. nine states now under a winter alert. and this system moving east. in some places, 80 degrees one day, 20 the next. the two explosio. the deadly gas blast in a town center. investigators on the scene tonight, after another explosion, this hom incinerated. and tonight, authorities with a $30 fix. the confrontation on camera. the police officer trying to arrest a woman, then seen punching her in the face. officer. pole defending eir and america strong.