jim handly and pat lawson muse are both off tonight. dashcam confirmed what authorities thought about the man who shot and killed the university police officer before taking his own life. we have the latest on this investigation. >> reporter: virginia state police say it looks like thursday's deadly shooting was a murder suicide. the same gun used to kill campus police officer was found beside the body of a man suspected of a self-inflicted gunshot. they don't know why the officer was targeted. >> it's very much the fundamental part of the investigation now. >> reporter: thursday, during a traffic stop he made on campus that a man walked up and shot the decorated officer as he sat in his patrol car. dashcam video showed him on tape. >> he ran to the greenhouses

where he changed clothes, taking off a pull over top and wool cap and put them in the backpack where he left at the greenhouses. >> the dead suspected killer was found after that. he was not a virginia tech student. while they investigate his motives, the school is mourning the loss of the officer with another vigil set to take place. the scene on virginia tech's campus thursday was eerily similar to what happened four years ago. again, a university lockdown was ordered on thursday within minutes. >> former prince county leslie

johnson learned her sentence. a year in prison followed by two years supervised release and to p perform 240 hours of community service and pay a $15,000 fine. the wife of jack johnson pleaded guilty to evidence tampering. megan mcgrath has more on the investigation against her. >> reporter: leslie johnson was arrested along with her husband, jack johnson weeks before he was due to take the oath of office and claim a seat on the county council. leslie johnson took the oath and began to serve on the council. as the evidence mounted, she pleaded guilty and eventually resigned from the council. key to the government's case against her, a taped telephone conversation between her and her husband as fbi agents pounded on the door of their home. he tells her to rip up a check for $100,000.

she can be heard flushing it down the toilet. >> yeah, flush that. >> reporter: in the conversation, leslie johnson then asks what she should do about the cash. >> what do you want me to do with this money? they are banging. >> put it in your panties and walk out of the house. >> reporter: when searched by the fbi, she was found to have nearly $80,000 stuffed in her bra. megan mcgrath, news 4. coming up on news 4 at 5:00, chris gordon reports on the apology she made today in court and reaction to supporters of a sentence to a year and a day in federal prison. a school administrator who received child pornography was sentenced today. he'll spend five years in prison along with five years of supervised release. that was the mandatory minimum

sentence. he was a principal in virginia. he was caught in june in an undercover operation. during a search of his home, he was sharing files that contained child pornography. a woman accused of attacking shoppers inside a walmart on black friday will not face charges. this was the scene. there's no evidence the woman committed a felony. this case was referred to the city attorney's office. she could face misdemeanor charges if they find she used it to grab video games from other shoppers. 20 people including children suffered nose and throat irritation during the attack. jerry sandusky spent a full day under house arrest. the legal team is hearing of more abuse. sandusky's wife knew of at least one incident and did nothing to

stop it. jay gray has the latest from state college, pennsylvania. >> we are getting a better idea of jerry sandusky's reaction to court ordered confinement. >> he's depressed. how can you not be depressed. even if a trial winds up in an acquittal, he'll never be the same. >> reporter: they spent more than an hour preparing for the first hearing in the case on tuesday. >> he's not looking forward to this. this is going to be a one-sided proceeding. this is a proceeding where the commonwealth is going to call witnesses or say all these things happened. >> reporter: the family is dealing with accusations that his wife, dotty heard an attack in the basement and screams of help and did nothing. >> if a child was screaming in her home, she would have heard it and responded. >> reporter: to this point, grand jury reports of ten

accusers in the case. chuck schmidt says he talked to one more. >> he was a participant in the second mile program in 2004. >> reporter: during an interview on msnbc says his client, now 19 was given alcohol and abused on penn state campus. >> he was given a glass of whiskey, which he was asked to consume and there after, mr. sandusky performed a sexual act on him. >> the actions didn't occur. >> he wasn't asked about the allegations but said it would not surprise him if the list of accusers come forward. >> i can think of a million reasons and penn state has unlimited resources. why do people lie? >> reporter: one of so many questions along with the concern

and controversy that lingers here. jay gray, nbc news, state college, pennsylvania. 128,000 ford cars are being recalled because wheels can fall off. it affects the 2010-2011 mercury sedans with 17 inch wheels. federal regulators say the bolds can break. it starts as an annoying vibration. if left uncheck, the wheels can separate from the car. dealers will replace all lug nuts and check the brakes. no crashes or injuries have been reported. there is a chill in the air. it's been there all morning. >> yes. the last couple days. meteorologist veronica johnson is up in the storm center 4 to tell us what our weekend is going to bring us. >> cold. how about the coldest air of the season? how about the coldest air, guys, since february? last february. >> we know. we don't want that.

what else you got? >> hey, at least it's not going to be raining or doing something else with the cold. today, we had a lot of sunshine. we are seeing high clouds roll into the area now. take a look as they are down near southern maryland now. south and east of washington. as we open up, more clouds and precipitation to the northwest up around pittsburgh and columbus. it's associated with a weather front. it's fast moving and going to come through the area tonight. until then, more clouds are going to move in. we are at 48 degrees now. nice december evening for, that's right, this time of year. temperatures running a few degrees below average. the cold is here. it's going to be sticking around for a little bit. 48 degrees now in tacoma park. fairfax at 50. so is bowie. here is a look at your good night forecast. a chill for us late this evening as the clouds move in.

we are down to 42 degrees. i told you about the cold moving in this weekend. believe it or not, the roller coaster ride continues. wait until you see what early next week is looking like. that's coming up. >> can't wait for that. >> well, it's crunch time. yes, it is. crunch time for candidates in iowa. there are three and a half weeks left before the iowa caucuses. newt gingrich is riding high in the polls. mitt romney is trying to bring him down. the question is whether going negative will be a positive. >> reporter: fighting to stop his slide in the polls, mitt romney visited iowa for the fifth time in this campaign. he brought out the big guns, his family. >> who better to do a turn around than the guy who does turn arounds. there you go, sweetie. >> thank you, sweetheart. >> my grandparents instilled in me a love for this country. >> reporter: he's playing the family card to slam newt

gingrich who has been married three times. romney questions his conservativism and more. that was tame compared to an ad released by a pro-romney ad. >> newt has a lot of baggage. he was fined for ethics violations. >> reporter: he's fighting president obama, not his fellow republicans. >> i'm going to stay positive. >> reporter: he can afford to. with 25 days before the iowa caucuses, gingrich is leading in the polls there and two of the first three primary states. the tone is getting testy. will it change votes? >> it's very fluid and unsettled on the ground. iowa is looking for a differentiation. >> reporter: last month, he had to cancel a book signing out of concerns the crowd would be too big. on capitol hill, brian mooar, news 4.

the life of marion barry to be told in an hbo movie. ♪ >> moving music. gospel icons bring a christmas celebration to the area. we are joined live in the studio with a preview. >> what should you do with broken holiday lights? that's the

the life of marion barry, one of washington's most colorful people is going to be a movie on hbo. eddie murphy is slated to play the mayor for life. the movie is based in part on "dream city." spike lee reportedly signed on to direct this. should be interesting. >> should be. a legendary band is in wax. the beatles have taken the stage at mad dam tussaudss in hollywood. the display shows ringo, george,

paul and john walking across abbey road in london. it's a replica of their 1969 album cover called abbey road. a new show is in town that features the greatest gospel singers. it's called christmas celebration, 2011. it's playing at the arts center in upper marlboro, maryland. ♪ when i found you ♪ found my most intimate prayer ♪ ♪ when i found you, i found what every heart dreams of ♪ ♪ when i found you i found lo love ♪ >> wow. >> four time grammy artist. he's one of the stars of this spectacular. he's known as singing "addicted

love" and "lost without you." he's one of the most prolific writers and producers of music. >> i'm here. i'm here. i'm laughing because you never know what people are going to show. you know? i haven't seen that in awhile. >> you look good. >> thank you. >> you look great. >> thank you. >> let's tell you, he is going to be with his sisters and a host of other great gospel singers for this christmas show. >> this is the first time that me and my sister have been involved. last weekend it started. we had a wonderful time. being my first time, i was kind of peeking me hind my head. it was live animals and all those. oh, yeah. >> it's a live christmas scene, isn't it? >> it is. >> it's transforming. >> for children and adults alike. you have a chance to see more than just hear the story of

christmas. >> what made you want to get involved in that or bring it to washington? >> i have heard such great things. i have been a friend of the cathedral for a long time. i got a phone call and they are calling us to be a part. when it's something of this nature, it's easy to say yes. >> there's a show this weekend. >> saturday, three shows, one show on sunday. then the following weekend, three shows on saturday and one more sunday. we are having a great time. >> you are up there with gospel greats. >> yeah. a lot of these artists are from detroit, michigan that we grew up with. >> right. >> this is like going home week. >> yeah, going back home. >> what is the music. what are the songs you sing in the show? >> some of them i have written. me and my sister have a new album. one that you played is a song from the album.

a lot of christmas songs are being sung. some that you heard and some you have never heard before. there's something there for everyone. >> sounds like it's going to be a fantastic show. >> you are working on a musical. dividing your time between here and new york. >> broadway musical about my family. i'm having an incredible time. tony award winning. i have had a chance to be with the producer. coming soon. >> we can't wait for that. >> and we can't wait for your show. >> c.c. is flying in this week. >> glad to meet you and hear you. >> my pleasure. >> this is at the evangel multimedia arts center. for information 301-249-9400.

thank you so much. what a thrill. >> glad to meet you. >> my pleasure. >> i have to download you. coming up, veronica returns with the chilling details of our weekend forecast. [ female announcer ] at verizonfios.com, you can choose your channel package. ♪ you can choose your own internet speeds. ♪ you can even choose to chat with a live person. ♪ now you can choose to save $35 a month for fios tv, internet and phone for just $79.99 a month,

plus get a $300 verizon visa prepaid card with a 2 year agreement. but hurry, offer ends soon only at verizonfios.com. contact the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 800-974-6006 tty/v.

this morning, news 4 held the annual share the warmth coat drive. folks all over the area donated in arlington. it's all wrapped up now. there was a great turnout. thank you so much to our viewers and partners. they include the salvation army. there is still plenty of time to donate. go to www.nbcwashington.com for more information. veronica johnson was out there all morning. it looks like they are going to need those coats. >> oh, yeah. for sure they are going to need the coats. they are collecting up until december 23rd. they are handing them out on january 9. a lot of folks are in need and right in our own neighborhoods. >> you were there. it was a moving experience, wasn't it? >> yes, it was.

a lot of folks heard our plea on the air, i went into the closet and took my kids coats out. lots of locations. go to our site for more information. we are ready for a cold weekend, right? >> it's inevitable, it's winter. >> sunshine for folks who want to get out and do shopping. we are exhausted after this week. good weekend for staying inside because of the cold. outside we have high clouds overhead. the temperature is currently at 48 degrees. i'm calling it a nice december evening. we don't have much of a wind. the wind we have is out of the south. it is at 6 miles per hour. let's go ahead and take a look at what's going on in other neighborhoods. we are at 51 degrees up in baltimore now. 50 in manassas and warrenton. 48 degrees in leesburg over in loudoun county. so, we are going to see clouds moving into the area tonight.

it's going to be a chilly night. a chilly, if not cold start to the day tomorrow. 42 degrees by 11:00. then down into the 30s. 36, 37 degrees early tomorrow morning. other locations starting out lower than that. here is a look at the satellite review. there are the clouds, pittsburgh to columbus. snow is falling around akron, ohio. the cold moves in. temperatures tonight down into the 30s and low 40s tomorrow. back down to freezing. up to 40 degrees on sunday. again, a cold weekend for us. here is the front that comes through. a few clouds for tomorrow morning, then high elevation snow. sunshine for the weekend. so, good weekend, at least to bundle up if you want to get out. i'm calling it a quiet chill for sunday. we are not going to have much wind around the area. skies turning chilly, 42 to 47 is the temperature range. tomorrow morning, between 27 and 36. so, very cold start for us.

the afternoon becoming mostly sunny. the high, 44 degrees giving us this weekend a very cold weekend. the coldest we have seen since february. but, look at monday and tuesday of next week. 47 and 50 degrees. we have sunshine. the roller coaster ride continues. we are going to head back down. we have more rain to talk about, too. we'll look at the extended forecast. >> thanks, veronica. >> still to come, the model who was injured by an airplane propeller is speaking her first words. the mother of a missing woman in florida

welcome back. i'm wendy rieger. >> i'm barbara harrison. virginia state police say the man who shot and killed a virginia tech police officer on campus yesterday is not a

student and has no connection to the school. but, they don't know why the suspect targeted officer deriek crouse. leslie johnson was sentenced for her role in a federal corruption case. a judge ordered her to spend one year and one day in jail and two years probation. she has to serve community service and pay a 15, 000 fine. jerry sandusky spent the first day of in-house arrest. he spent an hour preparing for his case on tuesday. there are ten accusers and could be more. the week ended on a high note on wall street. the dow finished up 188 points

ending at 12,841. nasdaq gained 50 points to end at 2646. the s&p up 20 points closing at 1255. we have an update on lauren scruggs who walked into a moving propeller of a moving airplane. in an instant, she suffered life changing injuries. as janet reports, her parents say she has given them reason for hope. >> reporter: 30. that was the word she spoke as she took her first steps after the devastating propeller accident. >> we were thinking what does that mean? she said i walked 30 steps. >> reporter: 30 steps on what could be a long road to recovery. her parents said their daughter doesn't remember the accident. >> she was in a bad accident, but don't know. she can't remember any detail of it at all. >> reporter: last saturday

night, she boarded a private plane look at christmas lights from the air. the 23-year-old climbed out of the single engine, two-seater plane when she walked into the still spinning propeller. >> it was dark. we were thinking she came back to thank the pilot. she didn't see the propeller was winding down. >> reporter: her family says it was an accident. they don't blame the pilot who has yet to comment on the incident. a part-time model and fashion blogger she suffered critical injuries including a severed hand and the possibility of losing her left eye. >> she's excelling in the physical and occupational therapy. it's a concern of the cognitive therapy. >> reporter: despite the challenges, lauren is already showing signs of her old self. >> she's got her personality

back. >> reporter: her positive attitude. she used a mirror to look at her face for the first time. >> she looked and said it's not that bad. that was encouraging. she has her beautiful smile. >> she founded her own online fashion magazine, lolomag.com. there are new leads in the search for michelle parker. police say divers found her cell phone. it was submerged in water under an orlando bridge. the i phone 4 is being examined. they considered the find a break. the mother now fears the 33-year-old is dead. >> it's become a lot more real to me now. somebody has done something horrible to my child. to the mother of my grandchildren. >> the phone was found seven miles from the home of her

ex-fiance, dale smith. he denies any wrong doing. a fire has killed 89 people and injured several others at a hospital in india. rescue workers smashed windows to get to the patients trapped inside. the fire started in the base. and spread. six officials faced charges for abandoning patients while the fire raged. new surveillance video of dominique strauss-kahn. he paid his bill and hopped into a cab. the maid appears to be acting out the attack. there's a sequence of them hugging and dancing two minutes after reporting the assault to police. strauss-kahn's lawyer says there was a conspiracy to bring him

down. others say this is proof he did assault the woman. more to come on news 4 at 4:00. our app of the day helps on gift returns. [ female announcer ] more people are using wireless devices... in more ways than ever. and our networks are getting crowded. but if congress frees up more wireless spectrum... we can empower more people to innovate... putting momentum behind our economy. and we can reduce the deficit... with more than thirty billion dollars paid by america's wireless companies. it's simple -- more spectrum means more freedom. for everyone.

it's friday. that means we want to put money in your pocket. like our nbc 4 facebook page and enter for the chance to win cold, hard cash. our 4g friday give away is what we're talking about. four people will win $1,000. next week, one person will win 4,000 bucks. the winners will be posted. it's the holidays, which means stores want to take money out of your pocket. so, one way to do that is with amazon santa. this is easy if you are kids or a bunch of people in your family and you want to create lists. go to amazon santa. for starters, you can look at

music, books, videos. hit this and you have everything you want to look for. you can just hit on certain things and it will tell you what it is. $11.95. you can buy it now. you can add it to your wish list. it's really cool. this is a great way -- we manage some lists here. we created one for pat and jim. pat's list is a lot more interesting. here we go. dear santa, these are some of my favorite things. this way you can send it to people. you can send it off to santa. you can send it to relatives, grandparents that you may want to -- they want to know what the children want. that way, you don't buy multiple things. it's like having a bridal registry. this is going to santa. it's fabulous. it's for ipad and kindle fire.

this is a great way to manage the holidays. you can tap on it and immediately order it. it can be sent to you as soon as you establish all your information. it's amazon santa. there are others as well. this one is really easy. it says your letter has been sent to santa. pat is going to get everything she wants on her list. go to santa's bag, no more socks, gift plan and my christmas list. they are similar apps that will allow you to shop this way. it's cool and makes it easier. >> have you written your letter yet? >> i wrote mine in august. way ahead of you. i write one every week. he's sick of me. when news 4 at 4:00 returns viewers have questions about christmas safety. we'll ask liz for answers, coming up. stories of fishermen finding notes in a bottle. how about one in a balloon. one that was returned to the owner after sempl years and a

lot of miles. coming up at 9:00, we check out the top restaurants including a look behind the scenes with an incredibly talented hibachi chef. then the party is on wheels. want to warm up your vocal cords? we are riding and singing along with t

years ago, a little girl in belgium was getting ready for her -- she released a note in the sky. a fisherman found it in the netherlands. the address was still legible. she protected it before putting it in the balloon. >> love stories like that. >> what is your message for us? >> my message is, i'm going to stay inside. i'm not a fan of the cold at all. >> is it going to be that cold? >> not that cold. it's going to be windy -- a shock to the system. it's new. we haven't gotten these kind of temperatures consistently since february. highs in the 40s. overnight temperatures below freezing. 48 degrees is where we are now. certainly a chilly day today.

nice december evening with a light wind. it's right near average with the average 49 degrees for today. a look at your overnight and morning and your good night wake-up forecast. clouds around the area. then the clouds depart around the time the sun comes up tomorrow. they are moving out of here. 37 degrees around 5:00 a.m. 36 degrees. i'm calling that cold. here is a look at the future weather. the white to the south are clouds. the white to the west is dense and bright white is snow. there's going to be a couple inches in the higher elevations. saturday morning, winding down by saturday noontime. back to sunshine for us and quiet weather for the remainder of the weekend. saturday is going to be breezy. we'll get up to 44. breezy. it will feel like we are at 43 degrees. 44 in manassas. a big game taking place on

sunday. we are taking on the patriots. the forecast, 43 with a light wind around the area. it will make the game more enjoyable. monday, 47. ahead of the next system, we warm up again. 50 degrees on tuesday. we warm up again. 52 on thursday. 56 on friday. like the last system, you get the big time warmth ahead of the front then temperatures fall. friday, we could see falling temperatures when the front moves through. it looks like it's going to be wet on thursday. >> it's not done with us yet. it's going in that direction. >> if we were looking at temperatures in the 30s, we wouldn't have drops there. >> have a good weekend. >> thanks. barb. >> what should you do with broken holiday lights and make pine branches last. can you hang holiday lights on an artificial tree made of

metal. hey, liz. >> a holiday ask liz. it means we are getting closer. >> i still get excited about it. our first question from aaron in bethesda. she has strings of broken lights. >> the national fire protection association and solid waste services helped us. the nfpa says use lights with a label of independent testing laboratory. don't plug in more than three strands of lights into an electrical outlet. if you have lights that are broken or old, recycle them. moms organic market in maryland and virginia take decorative lights for recycling up to january 31. that's good. storsniders do, too. don't toss them in the trash but don't plug them in if they are broken. >> liz from alexandria writes,

she has a bunch of pine try branches. can you make them last through the holiday season? >> your house is covered. we went to johnson's florist to get your answer. treat them like any cut flower. change the water frequently. cut the stems and use flower preserve sieves to make the branches last longer. the branches like to be kept in cool areas. keep them out of direct sunlight and they should last the season. alyssa from centerville writes, if she can hang christmas lights on artificial trees made of metal. >> we did contact the safety commission for the answer. they say it's best not to use them on a metal christmas tree. if you do, you need a ground fault circuit interrupter. it can prevent e electricution.

>> the you have a question, connect with me on twitter and facebook. coming up on news 4 at 5:00, are poinsettia plants toxic? how do you get a letter postmarked from the north pole and why do some stores change their return policies? we will find those answers on news 4 at 5:00. >> thank you for the answers. wendy? still ahead on news 4, an athlete takes an unconventional approach to find someone to sponsor him for the olympics. coming up on news 4 at 5:00, washington post food critic will show you how to get great deals at great restaurants. a happy ending for an adorable pet. we'll have the latest on foxy the dog. tonight at 6:00, a tool to help

drivers avoid accidents and traffic jams

a squirrel was caught red hapded. security cameras show it pulling the fire alarm at a florida elementary school. he gets five feet up the wall and hangs on the lever. he doesn't hang around to get caught. it happened last year. the squirrel remains a legend in

the school district. they showed it this week to justify extra money. a british sprinter is taking an approach to find a sponsor. 26-year-old put himself on the ebay auction block. for 30,000 pounds. the 200 meter sprinter is ready to compete after boupsing back from injuries. he needs money to train like his rivals. >> that kind of training costs and equipment, medical everything, basically. just get me training from the top. >> the bid is up to more than $49,000. >> i didn't understand a thing he said, but i love it. >> his accent. >> a heavy accent. he's up to $49,000 on ebay, which is lovely.

good for him. way to go. still ahead, the duggar

sad news for the duggar family. they have 19 kids. the mom was pregnant with their 20th child. now the reality show mom and dad

are talking about their loss. savannah guthrie has the story. >> good morning everybody. >> good morning. >> reporter: just one month ago, michelle and jim duggar appeared on "today" to share the news. >> you have a big announcement this morning. >> yes, we are excited. we are expecting our 20th child. >> reporter: thursday was supposed to be a good day. michelle, in her second trimester headed to the doctor to find out the the section of the child. instead, the doctor was unable to find a heart beat and told the couple the bad news, that michelle miscarried. michelle spoke of returning home to tell her children. she said, we had just been talking about baby names last night and getting excited about naming a boy or girl. it's been a sad disappointment. she went on to say, i feel like

my heart broke telling my children. they have all been so excited about this baby and having a new little one in our arms. that was the most difficult. thursday night, jim bob released a statement thanking fans for their support. he wrote, we would like to thank everyone for their prayers, e-mails and out pouring of love. we are grieving. god promises to work all things for good in our lives. this is the second miscarriage for the 45-year-old mother of 19. she suffered during her last pregnancy in 2009. the most recent announcement sparked a passionate response over the internet. >> why isn't 19 enough for you? >> there's always room for one more. they are such a gift. >> a gift they don't take for granted. >> the precious life that we see here is not a coincidence.

it is a miracle. so, i don't take that for granted. i know that god is the one who gives life. i'm just so grateful and thankful. we would welcome another if he saw fit. we'll wait and see. >> they say when they wait to see if the baby was a boy or girl, they will pick a name and hold a funeral service. that's news 4 at 4:00. news 4 at 5:00 starts right now. tonight at 5:00, why? it's the question everyone is asking after the shooting at virginia tech. >> as you can imagine, this has been a difficult time for our police department. >> we know the killer ambushed the police officer and changed his clothes to throw off the manhunt. what he might have done right before he opened fire. protesters accused of overstaying their welcome. who is losing patience with

occupy d.c.? ax and marion barry, the movie. spike lee is taking on one of d.c.s most colorful figures. wait until you hear who is going to play the mayor for life. welcome. i'm wendy rieger. >> i'm doreen gentzler in for jim handly. leslie johnson is heading to prison. she was sentenced for one of the most notorious corruption schemes. lawyers say she was an innocent spouse. the judge is not buying it. chris gordon is live in the news room with how much time she'll spend behind bars. >> she was sentenced to a year and a day. her husband sentenced to seven ye years by the same judge earlier this week. she benefited by the financial crimes of her husband. he planned to continue his legacy of corruption using her position on the county council, a seat she resigned after