as to the charge of first degree murder, verdict as to count one, we the jury find the defendant not guilty. >> casey anthony found not guilty of first degree murder, not guilty of child abuse and not guilty of manslaughter. good afternoon, i'm pat lawson muse. >> we start with that breaking news. a quick verdict in the casey anthony trial. the jury deliberating for about ten hours, over two days before coming back with that nonguilty verdict. >> they combed through more than 400 pieces of evidence and six weeks worth of testimony. >> t 25-year-old was on trial for killing her 2-year-old daughter caylee who disappeared back in 2008. a jury found her not guilty on all but four counts. those counts were giving false information to the police. jay gray has the latest now from orlando. >> as to the charge of first

degree murder, verdict as to count one. we the jury find the defendant not guilty. >> reporter: after deliberating 10:44 the jury of five men and seven women made its decision just before 2:00 this afternoon. telling the court and the world they did not believe casey anthony killed her 2-year-old daughter caylee. >> as to the charge of aggravated child abuse, verdict as to count two, we the jury find the defendant not guilty. as to aggravated manslaughter of a child, we the jury find the defendant not guilty. >> reporter: casey anthony broke down crying, hugging her attorneys. prosecutors sat in stunned silence as the defense team celebrated. >> casey did not murder caylee, it's that simple. and today our system of justice has not dishonored her memory by

a false conviction. >> reporter: she was found guilty on four lesser counts of providing untruthful information to law enforcement officers. the punishment for that is fore years and she will likely get credit for the three years she's already served. caylee first thought to be missing until six months later when her remains were found in this wooded swamp. they sealed the case against their mom. the case all circumstantial. the testimony from dozen of witnesses left an impression on the jury that for the first time was made public this afternoon. casey anthony not guilty in the death of her little girl. >> and we want to hear what you

think about the verdict. go to our facebook page, nbcwashington and give us your opinions coming up at 5:00, we'll talk to a former montgomery prosecutor about why the jury came back with this not guilty verdict. close to home now, prince georges county councilmember leslie johnson has resigned. her action comes just days after pleading guilty to witness and evidence tampering. her resignation takes effect july 31st. johnson and her husband jack johnson were arrested back in november. in a statement this morning, leslie johnson said "i again apologize for my mistake, i am deeply honored to have had the opportunity to serve the residents of district 6. she will be sentenced in october on the witness and evidence tampering charges. her plea agreement calls for 12 to 18 months in prison. her resignation should have taken effect immediately, some

say. we'll have a live report coming up at 5:00 tonight. a northern virginia man is behind bars this afternoon accused of stabbing his father to death. authorities found 62-year-old lawrence ember dead last night at his home in great falls. news 4's tracy wilkins has more on the investigation. >> reporter: people who live in this community say the emmers were a quiet but involved family. the wife involved in the homeowner's association since this community was built. they're surprised by the fact that last night this home was the scene of a murder. >> a little unnerving to have something like this happen around here. >> would you imagine it would have been a murder? >> oh, no, not in this area. >> after 10:15 last night, they responded to the 1200 block of colvin meadows lane. once on the scene, they discovered the body of

62-year-old lawrence emmer stabbed to death. >> we heard the helicopters, we just figured it was something with the fire would bes. it's a very quiet neighborhood except on the 4th of july. >> as police searched crowd side of the home, an investigation soon revealed their suspect was actually 25-year-old casey emmer. the victim's son. he's also the one who falsely reported the break-in at the home. >> the suspect is the one who called police initially. and initially he reported a break-in. but officers discovered that what in fact had occurred was a homicide. >> emmers is now facing charges for killing his father. he and his dad were the only ones in the home at this time. >> fairfax county police have not released a motive in this case. in great falls i'm tracy wilkins, news 4. >> a driver faces dui charges today after she crashed her suv into the dining room of the

aspen hill home. police tell us the driver of the suv, a 22-year-old woman hit two cars on aspen hill before crashing through a chainlink fence and into the house. the homeowner says his wife was right in the path of the car. >> i opened the door to the back bedrooming and there was an suv in my dining room. and i heard my wife screaming. she said she was bleeding. the truck was in front of the doorway, i couldn't get out. i climbed out the side window, came back around and saw all the damage to my house. >> his wife suffered minor injuries but has been released from the hospital. >> there have been several developments today in the sex assault case involving former imf chief dominique strauss-kahn. prosecutors are going to drop the criminal charges against him. the post cites an investigator close to the case who says the accuser's credibility is so

damaged, the case in his words is unsustainable. the banker's legal problems are not over. a lawyer for a french writer says he filed a criminal complaint today with the paris prosecutor's office, the lawyer says strauss-kahn tried to rape his client during an interview several years ago. strauss-kahn's lawyers are accusing the writer of slander and say they'll file a lawsuit against her. and the suits do not end there. the hotel maid who accused strauss-kahn of rape, filed a libel lawsuit against the post today for a series of interviews that suggest she's a prostitute. the coroner ruled the body is not indiana college stund lauren speier. the countdown to nasa's

final space shuttle launch has begun. chris clackum has more on the space agency's historic final launch. >> the countdown for the last launch of a nasa space shuttle began at 1:00 eastern tuesday. >> all of our preparations have been completed or are in work and we're seeing no issues at this time. >> reporter: the crew will guide "atlantis" to the international space station. the weather might present an issue. >> i wish i had better weather for you. >> reporter: kathy winters says there's a big chance atlantis won't be able to lift off within a ten minute window starting at 11:25 friday. >> we are going with a 60% chance of weather prohibiting the launch, due to the potential for showers and isolated thunderstorms in the area. >> reporter: however, the forecast improves if the launch is delayed to saturday or sunday, which means as many as a million spectators need to plan

accordingly. >> so a lot. friday morning kids are out of school, it's a great opportunity for folks to come watch the last launch. >> reporter: a poignant fact that's part of the payload the crew cares to the space station. >> i hope that i paint nasa in the finest light, that we pull off the cleanest mission that is possible. because we want to finish on the strongest note. >> finish successfully with the 135th flight of the shuttle program. chris clackum, nbc news. if you spend any time outdoors today, it was another cooker. a hot afternoon. >> doug kammerer joins us to tell us if and when we're going to cool off. >> i don't think we're going to cool off any time soon. we're talking about the month of july in the summer. 89 currently out at the airport. heat index at 92 degrees. dew point in the mid-60s. the wind on the calm side. on a day like today, you'd like

a little bit of wind out there. manassas coming in at 93. as well as dune toward culpepper and fredericksburg. out to the east, annapolis, coming in at 85 degrees. around the region, we're not going to see any rain i think today. we're going to see a dry day. the only rain on the radar screen is out toward the beaches, rehoboth, ocean city maryland. there could be more of that shower activity toward the beaches during the day tomorrow. a better chance overall for us to see some rain tomorrow. overnight tonight this is what you can expect. 83 degrees around 9:00. a warm and humid evening. tomorrow morning waking up to temperatures in the low to mid-70s, it's going to be a very warm start tomorrow, humidity creeps up there a little bit, so do our rain chances. i'll come back and tell you when i think we have the best chance of seeing showers and thunderstorms. the barge used as a launch

pad for boston's fireworks show monday night went up in flames. the fire was spotted around 5:00 this morning. flames raged for about an hour before firefighters were able to obtain the blaze. the cause is still under investigation. no one was hurt. when news 4 at 4:00 continues a mega jackpot worth almost $250 million. >> a woman punishes her husband's ex-wife with an elicit craigslist ad. what's the best neighborhood in the greater washington area?

honey, why aren't you playing with your friends?

i am playing with my friends. hey, mrs. d... joseph? sarah! it's mommy's turn now. let's go. [ male announcer ] the average home has over four internet-connected devices. we were gonna storm the castle. i love your hair. [ sarah ] thanks i went to your guy. it's perfect. i thought we were storming the castle. [ male announcer ] that's why you need the internet rated #1

for supporting multiple users and devices simultaneously. verizon fios. a network ahead. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 800-974-tty/v. the european lottery jackpot is nearing the $250 million mark. this is the biggest jackpot in the lottery's history. it was started back in 2004 by a trio of lottery funds from the u.k., france and spain. the $250 million jackpot is what the winner gets to walk away with. the cash payment over there is

tax free. for millions of canadians, a visit from the royal couple is downright priceless. >> they're still charming our neighbors to the north wherever they go. here's peter alexander. >> it was easy for royal admirers to ignore the wet weather on prince edward island monday. once again, and there was consensus on this, william and kate shined. in what's known as the birth place of canada, their arrival alone was ceremonious. the royal canadian mounted police as their escorts, thousands of fans craving for a glimpse. later william, a search and rescue pilot back home, took the controls of canadian force's sea king. the prince learned an emergency water landing maneuver. the duke and duchess of cambridge weren't done with the water. going head to head in a boat

race. after william's team won, they seemed less like royalty, more like newlyweds. then there was that moment sunday after kate accepted a bouquet from a little girl in this crowd. kate said, yes, i hope to. the future queen has spoken publicly about children. enough to get the british tabloids buzzing about a possible heir. >> reporter: it wouldn't be unprecedented for a royal couple to have a baby within a year of their wedding. don't be surprised if there is a new member of the family nine months from now, if the folks here say he or she was made in canada. >> so the baby watch begins? >> exactly. for the first day of our weekly segment, the hottys.

the fans of the cane show vote. >> the best neighborhood in the area? >> it's a campaign that started over the weekend. the best place to live, the best place to go out, the best place to enjoy your weekend what would you say? we have 12 of the best categories up on line right now for you to vote on. >> you're getting a tremendous response. but some of them are like clarendon. tyson's corner. >> even ketlans is doing well. >> you judge them on lifestyle restaurants -- >> it's the overall package if you like to go out in these places or have fun. you want to live there, go to hot95.com and you have all the selections to choose from that are the biggest right now. >> can you talk about a lot of these other categories? you have best signature cocktails? >> best drunk food when you're out. you need a little something in your tummy to coat.

we have every category imaginable. >> what response have you gotten from your listeners? >> huge response. drunk food is a great one. best bathrooms is one people are passionate about. oh, i heard about this place, they're clean, they have toilet paper. >> the beauty of your show is, there are no limits. you had quite the debate going on. >> there are limits. but it's true, we really do have a lot of fun on the show. >> you do. and you guys have quite a team there. you, sarah and sammy? >> yes. >> what time do you start in the morning? >> i'm up at 3:00. we're in there by 4:00 talking about the day's events, we go on at 5:30 and we are on until 10:00. >> how does it change the way you do drive time business this morning? >> with the casey anthony

verdict i was able to talk to people about the verdict that usually i wouldn't be able to talk to them about it until tomorrow. >> what do they get if they win? >> you get a statue with this ugly mug on it. >> it is a cute mug. >> thank you. >> we'll see you again next tuesday? >> yes. >> every tuesday here on news 4. thanks. coming up at 4:00, the number of fireworks used to put on the spectacular display in the big apple. and it was spectacular. the july heat was spectacular as well.

the 4th of july break is over early for congress. senators returned to the hill today in hopes of reaching a deal on the debt ceiling. the deadline now less than a month away. there's still no sign of compromise. >> the senate will come to order. >> the senate cut its vacation to try to break the stalemate on the debt ceiling. with time and the nation's credit limit running out.

democrats are predicting the economy could unravel if this fight wasn't resolved soon. >> defaulting on our debt would risk millions of american jobs, halt tax refunds, social security checks, medicare payments, and even payments for our troops. >> republicans want the president to come to capitol hill and talk terms. they insist tax increases of any sort are off the table. >> our view is the way you solve a debt crisis is to go on a diet, not a shopping spree. >> it's great political theater in washington. the taxpayers may have another take on the back and forth. >> i believe no one is saying let's work together. it's my way or the highway. >> the log jam should be broken for the benefit of the people and the country. i think we should live within our financial means. >> i think they have to pull their big girl panties up and get the job done. >> a fight down to the wire with uncle sam's credit on the line. the nation hits its debt ceiling

on august 2nd, the practical deadline is actually a couple weeks from now, because it will take time to analyze any deal and sell it to skeptical lawmakers, in washington, brian mooar, news 4. hundreds of thousands of people packed the mall to watch the fireworks. pyro shows designed the big fireworks display. >> up in new york city the show was billed as the largest display in america. the 35th annual macy's july 4th fireworks. the fireworks were synchronized to a 25 minute musical tribute. more than 40,000 fireworks were used in the program. that was impressive. >> and our show was quite good itself. >> our show's always great. >> i think ours was about a half hour long. >> it was.

>> you want it longer? >> no, i'd like to see a half hour grand finale. not just yay, yay. just do them all at once for a half hour. >> could we stand that? >> yes, we could do it. how about a 15 minute grand finale. >> that sounds like a great idea. >> we have to give you kudos. >> oh, yeah? >> the weather was great. >> thank goodness. i did hear of win fireworks display that was cut short, down toward tacoma park. but everybody else was okay. that was only a quick shower that came through. i know we saw some light rain around bethesda, down on the mall, a light sprinkle came through. they did get the fireworks off, thank goodness for that. mother nature seeing plenty of sunshine out there. partly cloudy skies across the area. high temperature of 89 degrees, that's the temperature, the current temperature 89. dewpoint right now 64. our winds are on the calm side.

as far as the temperatures go around the region, we're at 93 degrees up toward frederick. out toward the show, look at salisbury, 85 degrees, right now, ocean city maryland coming in at 83. a very warm afternoon, but pretty nice down toward the beaches, unless you're looking over here. look at the shower activity into delaware or rehoboth beach. the rest of the area high and dry. that's how we're going to stay over the next 24 hours. well, over the next 12 hours or so. look what's going on. this is a frontal boundary. clear skies around our region right now. the frontal boundary is going to meander up and down. ait does so, we're going to see warm and humid air continue across the area. we will see a better chance of storms tomorrow as the front moves slower back to the north. same deal thursday, and then we

watch another frontal boundary to the north. we're going to see a carbon copy of what we saw yesterday, tomorrow, thursday and friday as well. partly sunny, warm and humid this evening, 83 to 88 degrees. tomorrow morning, mostly clear, warm and humid, 66 to 74 degrees. as we move on through the day tomorrow, it's going to be another hot one out there. temperatures 88 to 92. any storms, they could be strong with some fairly heavy rainfall, i'm not expecting anything too severe over the next couple days. a 40% chance of storms wednesday, thursday and friday. temperatures hovering around that 90 degree mark, you may be a couple degrees below that 90 degree mark. you may be a couple degrees above it. that's what you can expect in the month of july. right here in washington, d.c.. 90s with a chance of storms. >> that's right. still to come at 4:00, one woman's craigslist ad that she wrote that targeted her ex-husband's new wife. ex-husband's new wife. i'm and this is my cvs. an

we look out for patients by offering care 1 on 1. we help them save money with generic prescriptions. we talk to them about prescription safety and -- help them save money. plus we discuss possible side effects and -- help them save money! we help them save money. get care 1 on 1 and talk savings, safety, and side effects when you transfer or fill a new ongoing prescription. i'm carla, and this is my cvs. and his, too.

spending the day with my niece. i don't use super poligrip for hold because my dentures fit well. before those little pieces would get in between my dentures and my gum and it was uncomfortable. even well-fitting dentures let in food particles. super poligrip is zinc free. with just a few dabs, it's clinically proven to seal out more food particles so you're more comfortable and confident while you eat. so it's not about keeping my dentures in, it's about keeping the food particles out. [ charlie ] try zinc free super poligrip. welcome back at 4:30, everybody. >> here's what's happening at this hour.

>> as to the charge of first degree murder, verdict as to count one, we, the jury, find the defendant not guilty, so say -- >> a quick verdict in the casey anthony trial. the 25-year-old mother on trial for killing her 2-year-old daughter caylee was found not guilty of first degree murder. jurors did finds anthony guilty of several counts of giving information to police. we'll have complete coverage of the verdict tonight at 5:00. prince georges county councilmember lesley johnson has resi resigned. she along with her former husband, pleaded guilty in a federal bribery and extortion case. her resignation is effective july 31st. a live report with reaction coming up at the top of the hour. a fairfax county man is facing charges in the death of his father. casey emmers stabbed his 62-year-old father to death last night in their home in great falls, virginia. investigators allege that he tried to cover it up with a

report of a break-in. the dow slipping at the start of this trading week, on the heels of the best week in two years. the nasdaq up about 10 and the s&p 500 lost 2. a florida woman is facing charges for posting a fake ad on craigslist to harass her ex-husband's new wife. >> she's accused of posting seemy ads on craigslist with the victim's home address and phone number. >> tracy wilder, a divorced mother of three, from bradenton, florida said she knew something was wrong, when she began getting phone calls, text messages and visits to her home from men she didn't know seeking sex. >> i feel our safety was compromised as a family. it's been terrifying. >> reporter: the men were responding to an explicit ad in her name on craigslist.

it read "i need to be thrown around a little bit, and to be dominated. that is exciting for me. it went on to say, please feel comfortable calling any time. and you're also welcome to stop by at our home. >> it's a complete violation of privacy. it's still affecting to this day, our sense of security in our own home. >> reporter: after wilder called bradenton police, natasha larson was arrested. she runs a day-care center at their home. detective kevin bunch says larson confessed to placing the ad and using a fake e-mail address to give out wilder's phone number and invite men to her home. >> at first, she did say, it was just funny to her. then it was to the point where she was advising that she was actually online e-mailing back and forth to several people. >> reporter: efforts to reach larson were unsuccessful.

larson does not wish to comment publicly, says a family member. >> this sort of cyber harassment is no joke. it's all too common and potentially dangerous. usually the victims are women. >> this prank that was posted online, means the woman who was subject to the attack is now subject to potential rape, somebody could beat her up, kill her, hurt her kids. this is not a game, this is a serious matter. >> wilder says she still feels uncomfortable in her own home, and is most concerned about the safety of her children. mark potter, nbc news, miami. >> two men came to tracy's house, and at least six others sent her illicit text messages. comedians should start getting their best tiger blood and winning jokes ready right now. >> charlie sheen has agreed to take part in comedy central's

next celebrity roast. ironically, it will be on the same night as ashton kutcher appears in charlie sheen's place on "two and a half men." "harry potter and the deadly hallows" part 2 trailer was released today. >> it's intense, folks. >> protect us. >> i have to go back. >> it's a suicide mission. >> the boy who knew. come to die. >> it's the final film for the harry potter series, which premieres this thursday in lon done. the movie arrives in theaters july 15th. >> he was downsized. i'm here to make sure that never happens begin. >> you ready to go to work?

>> despite the starpower of tom hanks and julia roberts, their new movie turned out to be a holiday weekend disappointment. it debuted in fourth place. hanks plays a middle aged guy who loses his job and enroles in community college. proving that aging actors draw raging fans, 71% of the folks who went to see larry crown were over 50. tiger woods missed the u.s. open, his own attorney amt the at&t national, and today he announced he's skipping the british open next week. tiger said on his website, that his doctors told him not to play at royal saint georges. he says he won't return until his knee and achilles are 100% recovered. the federal judge presiding over roger clemmens perjury trial says he probably won't let the former new york yankee to

testify -- force him to. the trial is set to begin in d.c. tomorrow, however, the judge says icould be delayed. a zoo in china has a new resident that is getting a whole lot of attention. the newborn is part donkey and part zebra. a new name. it's face and size are similar to that of a donkeys. from the legs down it's coat is striped like a zebra. a vet managed to deliver the hybrid successfully, that's donkra. >> how do you spell that? >> d-o-n-k-r-a. an original copy of the declaration of independence is found in an unusua [ female announcer ] keurig brews more than just hot coffee.

now you can brew over ice for delicious iced coffee or tea. hot or cold, keurig is the way to brew everyone's favorite cup in under a minute. choose. brew. enjoy. keurig.

time to check out today's daily deal with our ipad. for someone, we're ready to click away. there is a great deal out there for working out. crunch is offering a one-month membership plus one personal training session for $19. that's an 87% discount. this deal is on. >> there is it is on groupon. you can see 422 people have bought this. >> just one day left to buy. let's check out living social and see what they've got going on today. the special involves those food

trucks, it's called ready to northbound food tours. you can tour d.c. food trucks for $19. georgetown for $30. and adams morgan for $32. can you get a two and a half to three-hour tasting trip for this. more than 850 people have bought this deal already. those food trucks are really popular. >> they are. >> it's up to 874. >> you can check on the ipad too, wherever you are, wherever you are, you can track them down. >> more people are wanting to eat, they're hungrier than they are ready to work out. as it should be, right? >> when news 4 at 4:00 continues this afternoon, doug will be back for a look at our forecast. a rare and historic document is found. a lot coming up tonight on nbc washington nonstop at 7:00, i'll join craig for daily connection, also later at 9:00,

nonstop foodies d.c. two sisters are tasting sweet success thanks to their love of chocolate and a theme.

you know what, this is a mirage, he's not really here.

he's in ocean city. his body's here, but his mind is on the other side of the region. >> won the that be great? the beaches have been perfect the last couple days. they're about five to ten degrees cooler right there around the ocean because of the cooler water temperature. >> that would be nice. >> let's just all go there real fast, ready? come back. fine. >> let's take a look out there and show you how things are going around our region as far as the weather is concerned. 89 degrees out there, on the hot side. a little humid. not too bad. humidity right now, 94%. we're going to see plenty of sunshine throughout the rest of the evening, temperatures around the region 90 in sterling, manassas. out toward annapolis a little cooler. ocean city coming in at a nice 83 degrees. as far as the weather's concerned, radarwise, there's nothing on the radar to talk about. live digital doppler radar all

clear. the only showers are out toward southern portions of delaware. clear skies from our area up toward the north as far as rain is concerned, a few afternoon clouds are built in, we'll see that again tomorrow. a frontal boundary just down to our south will move back tomorrow. that will give us a better chance of rain. look at the scattered showers, by around noon, now, i do think this will most likely occur after the noon hour. but this computer model brings it in around noon tomorrow. we keep the chance for thunderstorms all day long tomorrow afternoon. thursday, a better chance for storms. they will be scattered once again. i'm not expecting anything severe. what i am expecting is those typical storm type storms. warm and humid, 83 to 88 degrees, winds on the light side tomorrow morning, mostly clear, warm and humid. as we look toward the day tomorrow, hot and humid. we will see scattered afternoon

storms tomorrow, the same can be said on thursday. on friday, as the frontal boundary continues to meander around our region. saturday looking dry. i think right now we're looking at a very nice weekend if you're thinking about heading down toward the beaches. >> i'm trying to get you a picture of the beach, so you can get back to your storm center and continue the fantasy. >> happy daydreaming. >> thank you. >> thanks, doug. one man's trash is another man's treasure. a pennsylvania man rummaging through a flea market stumbled on an original copy of the declaration of independence. doug shimell has the story. >> i'm always trader hunting. >> reporter: at a flee market, tom saw something. >> i thought, i don't have one

that size. i was probably -- i paid twice as much as i thought it was worth. >> reporter: for $100, he bought a facsimile of the original declaration of independence. he found more information about the destructive acid copying process. >> it was an anastic copy printed from the original that cause damage to the original. >> tom says he took a copy and the old wooden frame it came in to the curator at independence hall where another copy resides. >> we put them on the table and he brought theirs in and laid it next to mine. i had this rush, that came through me. i thought, wow. >> reporter: for the first time, tom's copy from the original declaration, went on display in

warwick township, bucks county, where george washington held his revolutionary war council. >> i'm amazed at that idea that you can stumble upon an incredible document at a flee market. >> to see a copy of the original declaration next to how it looks today is startling. tom lingenfelter knows it was meant to be found at that flee market. >> pretty amazing. >> that's incredible. what will he do with that? >> hang on to, i wouldn't part with it. coming up, on news 4 at 4:00, china has its own leaning tower and the building is 400 years old. the latest on the search for tourists who went overboard on a fishing trip in mexico.

beach fashionwasforeverchangedonthis da day65 years ago. in particular, men gave their opinion. the itsy bitsy swimsuit became a hit with us americans. a 400-year-old chinese tower has gotten a much needed crutch. the tower was built during the ming dynasty. the building began to tilt in the '70s. a crutch was constructed and will stay in place until a more complete restoration can be finished. the six-story building is part of a middle school in northwest china.

mexican authorities continue to search for seven americans who are still missing after their boat capsized in the gulf of mexico two days ago. the survivors who made it to

shore tell a harrowing tale. miguel almaguer has the story. >> reporter: the search for the missing has turned up little by air or sea. the navy and coast guard have pinpointed the sunken ship. 35 people swam ashore or were found floating out at sea. dehydrated, exhausted, sunburned, but alive. >> it was like a movie, but we survived it. >> reporter: charles was on the fishing vessel when it capsized during an electrical storm overnight sunday at 2:30 a.m. the ocean and sky were black. panic feeled the air. >> the the realization came when the ship actually lowered itself into the water, kind of like the titanic movie. i remember the smell of diesel fuel burning my skin. we decided to swim for land. and it seemed to look closer than it was.

>> reporter: like many, gibson swam in shark infested waters for 16 hours. he clunn to a cooler to stay afloat before he reached land. sunday 60 miles to the south and two miles from shore, the boat was crushed by a series of 40 foot waves. the coast guard says those missing americans could probably survive lost at sea for a few days. the mexican navy will continue their search for the americans for another two days. miguel almaguer, nbc news. that's news 4 at 4:00. news 4 at 5:00 starts right now. as to the charge of first degree murder, verdict as to count one, we, the jury, find the defendant not guilty. >> a stunning verdict this

afternoon after more than six weeks of explosive testimony in ten hours of deliberations. a jury acquits the florida mother in the murder of her 2-year-old daughter caylee. not guilty, her life is spared, good evening, everybody. i'm jim hanley. >> and i'm wendy rieger. prosecutors sat in stunned silence. the not guilty verdict marks an end to a tragedy that's stretched out over the last three years and captured national headlines. craig has a stunning turn of events. >> reporter: when word spread this afternoon that the jury had reached a verdict, in a relatively short amount of time. many assumed it was because the prosecution's evidence was so overwhelming. at one point this afternoon, it looked like the jurors might answer questions about how they reached that verdict. that did not happen today. it's not clear when or if it will. there are lots