cooke county detectives have asked for help collecting samples of d.n.a. for the tricia pacaccio murder. >> we get a call from cooke county and they want assistance with an investigation. >> reporter: purely by chance, the chicago investigators had turned to l.a.p.d. detective tom small who happened to be investigating gargiullo for the murder of ashley ellerin at the time. it's an extraordinary coincidence that they happened to call you at the exact same time you were looking at the same individual. >> absolutely. it was just the-- i don't know, stroke of luck. >> reporter: it took small more than a year to find the elusive repairman and collect his d.n.a. for the pacaccio case. five years later, that very same sample would help sergeant lewis-- >> the blood start on the stairs. >> reporter: ...tie gargiullo to the attack in santa monica.

that also wasn't the end of it. >> no, that wasn't the end of it. >> reporter: next, lewis called detective mark lillienfeld, on a hunch that the attack in santa monica might be related to the murder of maria bruno. >> it was very, very similar. >> reporter: so lillienfeld returned to elmont tow search gargiullo's old apartment. >> and sure enough in the attic of the apartment we wound up finding a matching booty, a blue cotton booty just like the same one we had found at the crime scene, the same manufacturer, the same make, the same model of booty. >> reporter: finally catching break they need, detectives small and lillienfeld were both convince-- they had found their killer. >> we were able to submit our cases to the district attorney here in los angeles who felt there was sufficient evidence to go ahead and charge mr. gargiullo. >> reporter: on september 4, 2008, while already in jail for the attack in santa monica,

michael gargiullo was indicted on two additional charges, this time for the murders of ashley ellerin, and maria bruno. >> we got ourselves a serial killer. >> reporter: no question in your mind. >> not in my mind, no. >> reporter: even with gargiullo behind bars, california investigators were puzzled by one question-- why hadn't cook county arrested gargiullo for the murder of tricia pacaccio years earlier? >> it's a no-brainer. if he were in custody for another matter, he wouldn't have been free to harm anybody. >> reporter: in fact, cook county did have evidence that could have put gargiullo in custody. back in 2003, the illinois state crime lab matched the gargiullo d.n.a., collected in los angeles, to unidentified d.n.a. found on tricia pacaccio's fingernails. >> he's, obviously, a person of interest.

i can't express what might personal opinions are regarding his guilty or innocence. >> reporter: jack blakey is the head of cold case prosecutions for the cook county's state's attorney. >> based on the fingernails, we have a profile of both the victim and mike gargiullo. >> they're telling me they have d.n.a. it's michael's. >> reporter: at the time, tricia's brother was convinced that cook county had found the smoking gun in his sister's case. but then, inexplicably-- >> they decide not to act on d.n.a. evidence. >> the evidence just hasn't been there. i wish we could bring closure to her family tomorrow. >> reporter: blakey says no arrest was made because the d.n.a. by itself is not enough to prove gargiullo was present when tricia was murdered. >> d.n.a. can be left by either a defensive wound or it can be left by casual contact. he was a friend of the family at the time, or at least was

present at the house on multiple occasions. >> reporter: and that appears to be the biggest obstacle in charging michael gargiullo with the murder of tricia pacaccio. the state's attorney's office claims that because the crime lab only used a single swab to collect all the d.n.a. from tricia's fingernails, it is impossible to determine where that d.n.a. came from. on top of the fingernail or underneath it. and that, they say, is a critical distinction. >> certainly, it's an evidentiary advantage to having the d.n.a. match underneath the fingernails. >> reporter: if the d.n.a. was found under tricia's nails, it could be argued that it got there as she fought against her attacker. >> would it have been better if the swabs had been done a different way? certainly with the science we have now, we could have taken advantage of that. >> reporter: so a simple but ultimately flawed laboratory procedure appears to have tied the prosecution's hands. >> we have d.n.a. evidence and

the experts cannot testify that it was anything other than casual. it might have been more sinister, but it might be casual as well. >> reporter: which is exactly what gargiullo wants investigators to believe about tricia pacaccio, as he told us from jail. >> d.n.a. does not prove that someone-- somebody committed a crime. d.n.a. just pretty much says that the personal was present or could have been present. >> reporter: as for the attacks on the women in california, it seems gargiullo has only one thing to say. >> i'm 100% innocent. [ woman ] my boyfriend and i were going on vacation,

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>> reporter: michael gargiulo has spent more than three years in the los angeles county jail awaiting trial. >> this a real nightmare that i'm living. >> reporter: in that time, he has had several meetings with the "48 hours" producer to consider the possibility of an on-camera interview.

all of the meetings were recorded in the jail. >> i'm 100% innocent and wrongfully charged. >> reporter: gargiulo would not discuss any of the charges against him, but it's clear from these recordings given to us by authorities that he is convinced jail is the last place he belongs. >> like everything good about me, and the fair person that am, and everything, it's not even out there and this is wrong. >> reporter: in 30 years of being in law enforcement, have you ever dealt with someone like this? >> no. he's pretty remarkable. i have met some sick puppies and some unique people and some brilliant people. i never met anybody quite like mike gargiulo. >> reporter: while the investigators in california are sure they've got their man, there is still one troubling question that concerns them greatly. do you think there are other victims out there? >> i think there's a very real chance. >> we've got evidence, some

statements, from mr. gargiulo and other people that indicate that 10 might be... 10 might be the magic number. >> we know that mike gargiullo traveled a little bit between illinois and california. we would certainly love to hear from investigators or other witnesses, people that have knowledge that maybe knew him or ran into him at some point. >> reporter: in the meantime, with gargiulo finally behind bars, los angeles investigators will wait for justice to run its course. >> now, it's up to the jury. >> reporter: what are you hoping for at trial? >> conviction. >> reporter: and sentencing? >> the whole nine yards, whatever the jury finds appropriate. >> reporter: the whole nine yards in this state is the death penalty. >> yes, ma'am. >> reporter: but for the pacaccios, that won't be enough. >> if he is convicted of murder in california, even if he is sentenced to die is that enough

for you... >> no. >> reporter: ...because at least he will have been found guilty and guilty and isn't back out on the street? >> no, no. >> i'm happy that the d.n.a. off of my sister is helping these other families, but at the same time, it's not good enough for that to stop there. it's not... it's not fair to her. this man needs to be held accountable for what he did. >> reporter: since this story first aired last spring, there has been a remarkable development in the tricia pacaccio murder investigation. while watching that episode of "48 hours" a viewer who years earlier this worked with michael gargiulo in a los angeles nightclub, remembered that gargiulo had once bragged to him and others that he had killed a young woman in chicago. "48 hours" put that witness, along with another coworker, in touch with authorities here in the city, and shortly thereafter, a cook county grand jury finally indicted michael

gargiulo for tricia's murder. >> late yesterday, we filed a criminal complaint in court, charging michael gargiulo with first degree murder in the brutal slaying of pacaccio. >> reporter: it was an announcement the pacaccio family had been waiting 18 years to hear. certainly welcome news, and yet... bittersweet. >> for me, the witnesses coming forward to "48 hours" after the show was the first step, and then getting it to the police and having them validate the claim is when we really started to feel a sense of accomplishment. >> he will eventually be brought back here to illinois. we are going to continue with this case but it will be a while before that happens. >> it doesn't take away the pain, but there is some sense of relief. not closure yet. it's a start. that's all it is. it's a start.

>> reporter: do you have hope at this point that he will see a day in court here? >> i wouldn't say hope. i would say i have the tenacity to keep going after him until it does happen. >> reporter: you're not going to give up. >> i'm not going to give up, no. my daughter is going to get the representation that she deserves. >> it's not over. it will never be over for the victims. it will never be over for the victims' families. the only thing that's over is he's off the streets. and young women can sleep a little better at night.

captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org >> this is definitely a life- and-death struggle. this is a man's life who's on the line. >> they got their man. they did not do their job. >> firefighters found six bodies. >> oh, my god. what happened here? >> manipulating witnesses, fabricating evidence. >> does this man get to live? does this man get to die? >> we're texas, we like to execute people. >> on television, online, on the go and now on ipad. cbs news. [ female announcer ] with xfinity, you can always expect more. like more on demand shows and movies than ever. and more ways to discover them too.

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store . a final goodbye. a baltimore teenager laid to rest, one week after she's accidentally shot by friends. tonight, tears and tough questions. >> evening, everyone. thanks for joining us. i'm adam may. eyewitness news was the only camera crew allowed inside the 13-year-old's funeral. it was packed with loved ones and many state officials. wjz is live tonight. wjz has more on the questions that still remain in the case. >> reporter: there are still certainly a wide range of emotions in this tragedy. loved ones were asking if a baltimore city police officer tried to cover up what happened. >> reporter: baltimore's southern baptist church was filled on saturday.

>> and heaven shall hear monae come. >> reporter: with love for monae turnage, hundreds waited in line to say goodbye. including the lieutenant governor and the mayor. >> our thoughts and prayers go to the family at this time of mourning. >> reporter: turnage was buried with her stuffed animals. police say two boys, ages 12 and 13, accidentally shot her last weekend. >> i'm a big person but certainly a very emotional person. that could have been my child. >> reporter: this is a sad day for baltimore. >> reporter: sad in part because the baffling circumstances surrounding turnage's death. and the public's demand for answers. >> i don't think it's enough because they tried to cover it up. >> reporter: police say the boys hid turnage's body in an alley. and in a most stunning twist, the gun used ended up inside a city police officer's car. he was reportedly dating one of the suspect's relatives.

investigators are still working out a time line. >> once we figure that out, if there is criminal wrongdoing, we are going to hold people accountable. and you can do that. >> until then, turnage's community turns to friends for comfort. there are no words to express their pain. >> very indescribable. we just can't believe how tragedy this death was. she was only 13. she didn't have to did out -- go out that way. >> reporter: and the police officer linked to the gun has been suspended, as this investigation continues. it is important to note at this point, he has not been charged with any crime. reporting live at police headquarters, weijia jiang, wjz eyewitness news. >> all right, weijia, thanks so much. both boys have been charged with involuntary manslaughter, as juveniles. some baltimore grandparents discover the remains of a newborn. the couple tells police they were cleaning out their car when they made the horrible discovery thursday night. their 32-year-old daughter lives in a mobile home park in

prince frederick. and she has three are the children. those children are now in the custody of their grandparents. meanwhile, neighbors say they're stunned over this gruesome discovery. >> it's insane somebody could do that to a child. i couldn't even imagine. >> it's horrifying. i have three kids of my own. my baby is a year old. so it's devastating. >> reporter: as of tonight, it's still not clear how that baby died. an autopsy is being conducted. and no criminal charges have been filed in this case. a baltimore city police officer is suspended tonight, accused of theft. investigators say 41-year-old darlene early was undercharged by a cashier who just happened to be her daughter, for groceries. police were tipped off friday night after a security guard here at this food depot noticed the cashier entering prices incorrectly. they say it should have totaled $400 but she was actually only charged $100. police say a meeting monday

will determine whether early will be suspended with or without pay during the investigation. rick santorum scores big with a caucus win. but the presidential hopeful is already looking ahead. santorum is now in the south tonight, with newt gingrich and ron paul. this is all ahead of the key contest with ron paul in alabama and mississippi. >> thank you. >> rick santorum delivered the news to supporters in missouri. >> we are going to win kansas and the vast majority of delegates in kansas. >> reporter: kansas vote favored a state where mitt romney and newt gingrich did not campaign. >> i'm thrilled to come and support rick santorum. >> and the associated press has reported that romney adds another six delegates to his total. gingrich spent saturday, barnstorming in alabama. the former house speaker signed autographs and asked for support as he works to jump start his campaign in the deep south. >> if we can win alabama and

mississippi tuesday night, we will reset the campaign for, i guess, the 9th or 10th time. sometime on wednesday. >> reporter: gingrich vowed to stay in the race, right through the gop convention. but santorum is hoping a poor showing tuesday will force gingrich to drop out. consolidating the conservative vote that is now split between the two candidates. romney has a demanding lead in the delegate count. >> good morning, you all. >> he's looking for a strong showing in the south after losing to gingrich in south carolina. >> i got started this morning with a biscuit and cheesy grits. >> you have to cut spending. >> reporter: ron paul continues to focus on caucus states as the best way to win delegates. duarte geraldino, wjz eyewitness news. >> and he also padded his delegate lead overnight. he won all nine delegates of nine and the northern marian islands. a white powder scare inside

a building in washington, d.c. hazmat crews swept a building this afternoon, looking for dangerous substances. but nothing was found. this comes one day after police arrested 39-year-old christopher pearlson for allegedly sending out 100 envelopes with white powder. those went to many senators, including maryland senator barbara mikulski. >> very quiet. very subdued. he didn't talk to anybody. he said hi. and that was about it. they kept to themselves. >> reporter: carlson lives in vancouver, washington, where the letters were sent from. none of the letters contain any toxic substances. carlson is said to be arraigned in federal court on monday. tonight, police are looking for a driver who they say intentionally hit a police officer with his car. the man was driving his silver chevy silverado, when he purposely accelerated and swerved to strike a boy. it happened in the 3400 block of wal ford drive. a side mirror did hit 14-year-

old gabriel hudgens' arm. he was treated and released from the hospital. anyone with information on that is asked to call police. flames force four west baltimore families from their homes. the fire broke out this afternoon, inside a row home on north fulton avenue. the flames spread pretty quickly to three neighboring homes. one firefighter was hurt battling the blaze. he was taken to the hospital with nonlife-threatening injuries. the cause. fire remains under investigation tonight. tomorrow marks the day -- the first anniversary of that deadly quake and tsunami in japan that killed close to 20,000 people. that disaster triggered a nuclear crisis. one year later, many residents say they're still afraid of radiation. >> reporter: mahido sagaura has unusual taste for a 10-year- old. his mother says he's obsessed with the fukushima nuclear crisis and records programs so he can watch them over and

over. show him pictures of debris from last year's tsunami, and he'll name the town. his family's home was destroyed and he wants to know all he can about the disaster and radiation still spewing from the fukushima plant. he is not alone. just 28 miles away from the reactor, farmer sensesido ono, is refusing to leave. he says people are scared by the "made in fukushima label." his vegetables now sell for half price. a large part of his property has tested high for levels of radiation. >> none of his can sell. because of the radiation. it's okay to touch them but not eat them. you can see the numbers here is quite high. but as we move a few steps, it immediately goes down. >> reporter: 1200 pounds of mushrooms have sat in his warehouse for months, radioactive waste he doesn't know what to do with it. >> he said he knew it was toxic

four months before the government banned them. japanese officials insist they do regular testing to protect citizens. but anxious citizens are doing their own testing. others boil it. people here say as they eat and breathe, it's like facing an invisible enemy, every day. in fukushima, japan, monica villa mazar, wjz eyewitness news. >> and a memorial is set for tomorrow where thousands will set paper lanterns afloat in the waves of the ocean. maryland's 26th annual harvest for the hungry drive, ended today with a rather big collection. dozens of people helped fill the bus with nonperishable items. they will be delivered to low- income people across the city. today was the last day to donate to the drive. but you are still encouraged to donate throughout the year. we still have a lot more coming up on wjz eyewitness news tonight.

they're creating the ultimate traffic jam. why columbia protestors are targeting bus stations. she said i'm not responsible for this plane crashing. demonic screams. inside a flight attendant's tantrum that left flight attendants scared. also, a texas mother forgets to bring her daughter home. find out when she finally noticed. it's a home improvement project that rivals all others. how one anne arundel county says it's a piece of history. i'm gigi barnett. that story is next. and we cooled down today. but a new round of warm air is on the way. we'll have that forecast coming up. stay with us. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

it's a cool 34 and clear in central maryland right now. bernadette will have the complete first warning forecast coming up. students tear down a bus station in bogota, colombia, all part of a massive protest to improve public transportation and lower prices. police had to use tear gas on the crowd. the city says protests here may be politically charged. explosions at another bus station take the lives of 43 people in kenya. 43 others are hurt in this blast. and some are hurt tonight.

witnesses say they saw people in of a moving car hurl three grenades. there have been similar attacks in recent months. officials believe that al qaeda may be behind the bloodshed. a flight attendant scares a plane full of passengers, when she goes on a crazy, demonic rant over the intercom. [ screaming ] >> you could hear there, she's saying "get out of the plane." she goes on to talk about a crashing. all of this happened just moments before takeoff. apparently the flight attendant reached her breaking point on this flight that was heading to dallas. in addition to talking about the flight crashing, she also mumbled other words that the passengers couldn't understand. some passengers actually jumped in and they wrestled the woman to try to calm her down. >> she spoke in and out of spanish. talked about the flight crashing, that we were going to go back to the gate. >> she said, i'm not responsible for this plane crashing. and that's when everybody started freaking out.

>> can you imagine? the chicago-bound flight did depart a couple of hours behind schedule, after the crew was replaced. and that attendant tonight is seeking some medical treatment. a 5-year-old gets a little extra play time at chuck e. cheese, when her mother accidentally leaves her behind in texas. the little girl had a birthday party with 19 other children and three adults. yet no one noticed that the birthday girl wasn't in the crowd when they left. chuck e. cheese called police after they left. but because of the child's limited information, they had to call child protective services. >> i never leave without my kids. you shouldn't be leaving without your child. >> here's the mother's sciewls. she has 10 kids. and she only realized her 5- year-old wasn't home when she was getting the kids ready for school the next morning. now that mother could face charges. underwater robots snap these new sonar pictures of the debris field here.

very detailed look. the complete imagery won't be made public until the history channel airs a documentary coming up in april. but oceanographers hint that the photographs provide more information into what really happened when that ship sank in 1912. the 100th anniversary of that disaffer is coming up on april 15th. if you decent find the home of your dreams in the perfect location, i suppose you can just move it. that's what an anne arundel county person did this weekend. gigi barnett explains how they did it. >> this is the front we come up on. >> chad is not the average weekend project do it yourself. but this weekend, he's got a honey-do that includes moving the house. that's right. moving the house. >> you never think you're going to do something like this. >> reporter: it's a task that started two years ago, with his wife. >> it's nice to save the house. otherwise, it would just fall down hereful. >> reporter: atwood's house is a 19th century original.

it's brand-new to him. but at 100 years old, the homestead is hardly new construction. he was given the home by a contracting company in the middle of a housing development project. the company didn't want want house but they didn't want to give it away either. they gave it to them, they will move it. it's a tedious task, relocating the house. the move bright out neighbors to see exactly how it's done. inch by inch, down the road, the house finally made it to its new location, about a block away. and for the homeowners this isn't their last home improvement project. >> we're not done. >> no. >> reporter: in odenton, i'm gigi barnett, wjz eyewitness news. >> once you own a home, you're never done. after that move, they plan to have that house ready to move into by this summer. boy, with the temperatures

warming up, bernadette, those honey-dos are getting longer for everyone. wait until you see a lot of this forecast. we're not just talking 60s again but 70s. this is just insane. >> it's going to be nice. >> it is. well, okay. one other thing you're going to get to benefit from. starting tonight, at 2:00, it becomes 3:00. we spring forward. so we're going to have that sunlight a little later in the day. and we continue to add about 1 to 3 minutes of sunlight a day. we're going to get that going on for us at least. temperature-wise today, it was just beautiful out there with the sunshine. on the cool side, 47 degrees. we started out in the 30s. look at that average, now up to 52. coming in at 34 right now. a lot of 30s out there. take a look at ocean city. down to 28 degrees already. we'll take you in closer and show you, most of us now are in our 30s. water temps in the 40s right now. so although it didn't warm up as much just along the water, it's not going to cool down as much just along the water either. winds are light out there. that's why it's going to be a