an attorney is about to appear in court. new in just the last hour we are learning the story of how the two first made contact. >> and how this up-and-coming d.c. attorney wound up dead in a pricey hotel room in one of the city's trendiest neighborhoods. pat collins is outside d.c. superior court downtown. pat? >> reporter: jim, according to court documents the murder victim david messersmith, went on craigslist soliciting other men. he actually got in a back and forth with another person. but the person who showed up at that hotel room wasn't a man at all. it was a woman, and that secret meeting, that cost him his life. jamira gallman arrested yesterday at her southeast apartment and charged with the donovan hotel murder back on february the 9th. the victim 30-year-old david messersmith, an attorney with the powerhouse law firm

downtown he was found inside a fourth-floor hotel room. he'd been stabbed a number of times in the back. now shortly after the murder, police released surveillance video of a so-called person of interest in the case. today that person of interest has been identified as murder suspect jamira gallman. she's 21 years old. police sources say messersmith met goalman online. they say he was looking for a rendezvous. they say gallman came to the hotel, attackeds meer smith, and robbed him. jamira gallman, a graduate of forestville military academy back in 2011. vincent mcduffy was her basketball coach there. what do you think of this? >> we can't. as a whole community, we really can't fathom the fact that this is who she is because this

wasn't who she was when she walked out of the doors. >> reporter: back live in superior court, inside jamira gallman is waiting to be officially charged with first-degree murder in this case. now, coming up at 6, more about that secret meeting. more about what happened in that hotel room. see you at 5:00. a woman attacked at a local park at the start of a sunny morning, it happened in the woods at long branch-ar lisliss park. investigators are questioning three homeless men who live in the park. they're waiting to interview the victim who was take on the hospital for treatment. some parkgoers are now concerned. >> i mean that's scary. i wouldn't want to be out here if that happened. >> chris gordon is working the story for us and will have a live report from the park in the next hour. from the minute we posted it on facebook, you've been sharing well wishes for a local student

who suffered a serious injury on the soccer field. northern virginia reporter david culvert outside river bend high school in spotsylvania county with a story first on 4. david? >> students and parents here be strong and pray for jake. they're coping with two devastating incidents involving students ss in just a couple days' time the most involving a sophomore. he's unconscious and in critical condition, suffering from a bursted vessel on his brainstem and serious concussion. his mom telling me by phone jake's conscious now and making progress. she's thankful for the many prayers. jake's injury comes just two days after ryan mccaul's death sunday. the young pilot crashed near the orange county airport. virginia state police federal aviation administration and the national transportation safety board still investigating. we spoke with two moms who are

trying to help their kids cope with these tragedies in just the past week. you'll hear what they're planning for tonight when we join you ahead at 5:00. in spotsylvania county i'm david culvert, news4. meanwhile we're learning new details today about that final flight for jake's classmate, pilot ryan mccaul. we'll tell you about that in just about ten minutes. new details right now in the case of the prisoner who escaped from custody at inova fairfax hospital. prosecutors have dismissed the escape charge against wossen assaye. officials say charges related to tuesday's escape and manhunt will likely be added when an indictment is handed down in the bank robbery case. we have now learned a 21-year-old was gunned down in front of two stores in maryland. keyway ivy was found dead outside the discount mark stores

on eastern 1/2 seat pleasant about 10:30 last night but that's where the answers end. at this point police have not released any information about suspects or a motive. chilling new information today about the germanwings plane crash. in the seven days before the crash, co-pilot andreas lubitz went online to research suicide methods methods. he also investigated cockpit doors and their security methods. according to german prosecutors, meanwhile, the second black box recorder was found today at the crash site in the french alps. we are wrapping up work on a report with details on those late developments and we'll have it for you in our second half hour here. we're following developments in kenya as the world reacts to the terror attack there. at least 147 people are dead after a hostage situation on a college campus. kenyan officials say members of the extremist group al shabab stormed the risa university this morning. witnesses say the gunmen singled out christians and killed them

on the spot. most of the victims were students. the four gunmen were also killed. the white house condemned the attacks and described them as cowardly. new and major developments this afternoon, in more than a decade of negotiations to curb iran's nuclear program. the u.s. iran and five other countries just agreed on the framework of a deal. final details are to be worked out within three months. israel has already dismissed it. but president obama calls the deal historic. he's also urging congress to hold off on actions that could undermine the negotiations reminding lawmakers that u.s. allies and world powers are part of the deal. >> if congress kills this deal not based on expert analysis and without offering any reasonable alternative, then it's the united states that will be blamed for the failure of diplomacy. international unity will collapse. the path to conflict will widen. >> we're posting specific details about the framework on

our nbc washington app. just use the search term "iran deal." i'm storm team 4 meteorologist amelia segal tracking big changes in store for the weekend. that's going to be because of a storm system that will be impacting us and potentially even tonight. here's the latest on storm team 4 radar. some isolated showers mainly in far western maryland. back into west virginia. this storm system brings us rain at times throughout the day tomorrow and maybe even an isolated shower this evening. 11:00, 64. it's breezy. coming up how much cooler it will be for the holiday weekend. a campus community, certain steps being take. after a controversial e-mail went viral. can it bring students and officials together? a plan in the works and impacts how much many of you spend in stores for your home

right now, students at the university of maryland are meeting to talk about a controversial and now viral e-mail. it was sent by a former student and contained references of rape as well as racial slurs. the university president is expected to take part in the open discussion. he reportedly determined most of the e-mail's content is protected by the first amendment. the first public appearance for the episcopal bishop charged with killing a cyclist driving drunk in baltimore in december. heather cook aguyed to a june 4th trial date accepting that court date essentially results in a not guilty plea by default. her lawyer told nbc news there's a chance the case could be resolved before the trial. cook posted $2.5 million bail in

january. it could get more expensive to shop and park in the district if new mayor muriel bowser gets her way. >> she's submitted her first budget proposal today. she wants to raise the tax on parking garages and lots by 4%. the money would go to fund metro. bowser is also calling for increasing the sales tax from 5.75% to 6%. here's what she plans for that money. >> we also wanted to live up to the expectations of residents to invest in new priorities and what we heard time and time again is that we have to dedicate $100 million every single year to affordable housing. we have to close d.c. general. and we have to end homelessness. >> the budget has to be approved by the council. mark segraves will have reaction from council members and the community at 5:00 and 6:00. he had an eye to the sky. first at 4, brand-new details about a teenaged pilot's final

moments. what happened after the ill-fated takeoff. just because springtime allergies haven't hit you yet, why you could be feeling them worse this year and simple ways

tonight family and friends will gather to remember a spotsylvania county teenager who died while piloting a plane over

the weekend. >> 16-year-old ryan mccaul died in a field monday when his plane went town. barbara harrison has new details. >> federal investigators are releasing preliminary information about the crash that killed pilot ryan mccaul. we now know that mccaul was taking off on his first solo cross-country flight. in flight school that means the first time taking off and flying to a different airport, landing alone without an instructor and returning to the airport where he started. and we know that mccaul had just over 30 hours of flight experience less than three of them solo. so what went wrong? the owner of mccaul's flight school told investigators he seemed to make a turn earlier than usual and two other witnesses noted the plane seemed to be going too slow and not gaining altitude. both noted a trail of smoke from the engine. so far no evidence of a bird strike or problems with equipment have been found as the cause of his crash. ryan mccaul's funeral and burial

are set for tomorrow morning. pat? >> thanks barbara. three of northern virginia's largest business groups are reaffirming their strong support for the bi-county parkway. the proposed roadway would connect prince william and loudoun counties and could help ease traffic in the region. the chambers of commerce for fairfax, loudoun, and prince william urged vdot to make it a top priority. vdot says the project is on hold and some lawmakers think the project should be scrapped completely in part because the road would cut through part of the historic manassas battlefield. senator robert menendez was admitted to the new jersey bar in 1980 but he was in the courtroom as a tft today. a federal indictment alleges he received thousands of dollars in gifts, travel and campaign contributions from a florida ophthalmologist in exchange for political favors. menendez says he's innocent and accuses prosecutors of confusing friendship with corruption. a new bomb plot in new york

city and this time the terror suspects are two women who were once roommates in queens. they are also supporters of al qaeda and violent jihad, according to the fbi. for the past several months the women were checking out library books and looking at youtube videos to try to figure out how to build and detonate a bomb from afar. they were also arrested today after undercover investigators determined they were trying to build a homemade bomb prosecutors said. found guilty of neglect, abuse, kidnapping and theft. now a prince george's county woman is facing a sentence of more than 170 years in prison. a jury convicted zeina kunar today. prosecutors say she tricked disabled and elderly adults into moving into her bladensburg apartment under the impression they would be at an assisted living facility. once there, kumar reportedly stole their money and their belongings. millionaire real estate heir and murder suspect robert durst will be back in court in new orleans next thursday.

nothing happened at a hearing today because three fbi agents involved in his arrest failed to show up. they were subpoenaed by defense attorneys who say the fbi searched durst's hotel room without a warrant. an assisted u.s. attorney testified that he told the agents not to appear at the hearing because the office needed more time to prepare. today began the pope's jam-packed four days of easter events. he led the mass of the pris. this morning at st. peter's basilica one of two solemn events on this holy thursday the day christians believe jesus founded the priesthood. later today, pope francis will travel to a rome prison and wash the feet of 12 inmates, a sign of his desire for the church to be closer with those who are suffering. and jews around the country are getting ready for the start of passover tomorrow night. tomorrow night families will join together for the first of

two ceremonial dinners knowned a the seder and will remember the story of the jewish people's exodus out of slavery. the minister behind tv's "hour of power" has died. the daughter of reverend robert schuller says he died this morning at a care facility in california. schuller began preaching from a rented drive-in theater back in 1955. the hour of power ministry started in 1970 and at its peak reached 20 million viewers. by 1980 he preached from a huge glass crystal cathedral. about ten years ago his only son took over the ministry but it went bankrupt a few years later. spring is here. many of you yet aren't feeling springtime allergies but that might not be a good thing. allergists say a delayed pollination season means much of the country can expect higher pollen levels this season meaning allergy season will be shorter but more intense. here are things you can do to

minimize the impact. take sure you start taking your allergy medicine before you start feeling the effects of pollen. avoid being outside in peak pollen hours, 5:00 to 11:00 and again after 4:00. for more tips and to track pollen level where is you live head to nbcwashington.com and click on our story at the top of the page. and remember we've got dr. jackie's surprising top ten reasons to tackle allergies now in our nbc washington app. just search dr. jackie. and get ready. the first lady is in the big apple this afternoon. she's set to appear on "the tonight show" with jimmy fallon. she'll talk about her let's move initiative but if this late-night stop is like the last one, we could see mrs. obama get in on the action too. she joined jimmy for theew sketch last time. see what everybody will be talking about tomorrow. it airs this evening after news4 at 11:00. the leader of the state meets the leader on the field.

>> why a governor and an nfl quarterback are sharing the stage and joining forces. grocery stores full of unhealthy foods. what may be hiding behind the label. and it could cost big problems for your health. and this is future weather at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. the chance of showers for everybody. but what about tomorrow evening and how does the system impact our temperatures? breaking news right now. we have just learned new details after a missing virginia boy was discovered dead. noah thomas' parents have been arrested on charges of abuse and neglect. the 5-year-old boy's body was found in a septic tank here in southwest virginia last week. police tell us the cause of death is still unclear. stay with us for more details.

it was so nice today, but is the party snoef. >> kind of. we'll be dealing with rain at times tomorrow so you want to grab the umbrella. you'll need to use it at times. it's not a complete washout. there will be dry time as well. showers are in the forecast. we can't rule out a downpour maybe a thunderstorm. best chance would be later in the day. that's your first weather headline. noticing the winds today. i know a lot of people are sayingitis breezy it's windy outside even though it's so nice. it will continue to be breezy even windy at times through monday. the strongest winds are going to

impact us on saturday. overall out of the next seven days a lot more warmth than cold. wait till you see the numbers on the seven-day. look at these numbers. low 70s for just about everybody. annapolis coming in at 59 one of the exceptions but washington is currently at 73 degrees. heading out tonight maybe for a bike ride, evening jog, walking the dog, 7:00 p.m. still in the upper 60s. still comfortable, still pleasant. mid-60s by 9:00. best chance of a shower north and west of washington along i-81. it's this system that moves through our area tomorrow, a cold front tomorrow night and that cools us down for our holiday weekend. 7:00 most of us are dry. midnight still mainly dry, maybe an isolated shower overnight. tomorrow morning showers possible otherwise cloudy.

around the midday hours notice some hit-or-miss showers on future weather at noon. as we get into the afternoon hour more scattered showers in the forecast. so rain is really possible at any time. dry time midday hour maybe heavy rain tomorrow night. by 8:00 a.m. saturday we're dry. so the road impacts tomorrow morning. showers are possible. around the midday hours a break is most likely. the morning and evening commutes could be affected by rain. high temperatures tomorrow 75 for a high in washington 72 in gaithersburg and 77 in fredericksburg. now, again, on saturday, it's cooler because of that system that moves through the area. skies become mostly sunny but it is windy, so when you factor in winds it will probably feel like temperatures in the upper 40s during the afternoon hours on saturday. sunday a temperature of 63 plenty of sunshine just a little bit breezy on sunday.

for the easter egg hunt. if you're doik it early around 8:00 a.m. it will be chilly with temperatures in the low 40s. i'll have more on the nats home-opener coming up. >> thanks amelia. first at 4, a powerful warning to keep you safe on the roads. >> why police are stepping up their efforts to keep many of you from a behind the wheel bad habit that could put others in danger. back to the drawing board. some changes could be coming to a controversial law over religious freedom. will it be enough to stop the backlash?

let's get you caught up at 4:30. new details about the murder of a young lawyer at a d.c. hotel. court documents say the suspect, jamyra gallmon, answered his ad on craigslist pretending to be a man. when she got there, she allegedly robbed and stabbed him. president obama calls it historic historic. several countries including the u.s. reach a deal today with iran over its nuclear program. its final details have yet to be ironed out. and we've learned a deadly terror attack on a college campus on kenya has finally ended. the targets were christian students at least 147 are dead including all four gunmen. and i'm wendy rieger at the live desk. we have breaking news. the parents of a 5-year-old boy

who was found dead in rural virginia. they're now under arrest on charges of abuse and neglect. the body of noah thomas is found in a septic tank in pulaski county a week ago after a five-day search, and his funeral was held just yesterday. officers say the cause of death is still not clear, but now his parents, ashley white and paul thomas are being held without bond. they're charged in connection with his death but investigators will not give us details yet. previously they did say that the family was cooperating and that they did not suspect foul play. we're going to bring you more updates on this as they come in and push any new information to the nbc washington app. at the live desk i'm wendy rieger. >> thank you, wendy. the controversy over religious freedom laws is still raging in arkansas and indiana. >> lawmakers just approved legislation that has focused anger and attention on both states. >> the firestorm started last week when indiana's governor signed a religious freedom law. jay gray is live in indianapolis

with the latest and some breaking news. jay? >> reporter: yeah we now know that the new legislation is passed in both legislative chambers here in indiana just happening and in arkansas just a bit earlier. there is a goal from both of these lawmakers in both states rather to have this signed by the governor by tend of the day today. >> senator long? >> reporter: lawmakers in indiana are now rushing to fast track a revised religious freedom bill replacing the measure that's been at the center of criticism and controversy. >> i want to hear somebody say we made a grave mistake and we caused the state tremendous embarrassment that will take months and possibly years to repair. >> reporter: corporate and social leaders across the country rallied against the original law, concerned it would allow business owners to deny services to customers based on sexual orientation. >> change the bill! >> reporter: the backlash and

threats of boycotts pushed indiana governor mike pence and legislators to mod ti fi the bill adding anti-discrimination safeguard, something initially insisted they would not do. the ncaa, based in indianapolis and preparing to tip off the men's final four this weekend, applauded the move after criticizing the original measure. >> we hope they can resolve it quickly not just because of this event but because it's an important issue to get the law right on and get it right fast. >> reporter: but not everyone is happy with the changes. angie's list has stopped construction of a new facility in indianapolis and calls the fix, quote, insufficient urging the governor to do away with the law all together. while on the other side supporters of the original bill now say the changes go too far. >> the government should not be able to force a hoosier business or an individual to violate their sincerely held religious beliefs. >> reporter: beliefs that continue to be at the center of a heated national debate. and, again, breaking news worth

repeating at this point. the new measures new religious freedom bills have passed in both the house and senate here in indiana as well as in arkansas. no word yet on when or if the governors of those states will sign them. that's the latest live here in indianapolis. i'm jay gray, news4. the defense at the aaron hernandez trial is expected to begin calling witnesses monday now that prosecutors have rested their case. the former new england patriots tight end is accused of murdering odin lloyd two years ago. lloyd was the boyfriend of hernandez's fiancee. hernandez says he's not guilty. the prosecution called more than 100 witnesses and submitted hundreds of pieces of evidence since the trial started in late january. the defense says it expects to wrap up questioning on monday. back in maryland, a reward is being offered this afternoon in the vandalism of 23 vehicles. the damage happened in the early hours tuesday along gilford road in jessup. you can actually see a few of the cars that were hit here.

police are offering $750 for information leading to an arrest in the case. just drive. it's an important hashtag trending on social media right now. it's the message behind distracted driving awareness month. national campaign reminding everybody about the dangers of distracted driving. experts tell us it's a growing problem, especially among inexperienced teen aged drivers. and today's kickoff event, young drivers demonstrated the difficulties on this test track here near rfk stadium. throughout the month of april, state and local authorities will be extra vigilant about ticketing drives who violate laws that prohibit texting behind the wheel. >> so if you're a driver, make putting away your phone a habit just like buckling your seat belt. >> this is so funny. >> and officials have just released this new public service announcement.

check it out. it's aimed at teenagers. it demonstrates just how quickly tragedy can strike if you take your eyes off the road. maryland state police plan to take part in the crackdown too. troopers from all 22 barracks statewide will conduct additional patrols during the month of april looking for violators. under maryland law, distracted driver who is cause a crash face up to three years in prison and fines. quarterback rg3 joined governor larry hogan at six flags this afternoon to help launch a new anti-bullying campaign. today's opening event, stop bullying in its tracks is part of six flags anti-bullying program that will be in place at the park throughout spring break. rg3 and the governor spoke to hundreds of students from anne arundel and prince george's counties. they all need personal pledges not to engage in bullying. they made those pledges on the eight-foot-tall bullying stops with me wall. >> i'm very proud of all of you for being here today and for joining in this effort to help

stop bullying in its tracks. >> i'm here to tell you that no matter whether you've been bullied or you have been a bully, you can change that and you can grow up to be whatever you want. >> the stop bullying wall will be available at the park for guests to make their own pledges on until april 12th. unhealthy foods dominating grocery store shelves. what you may be miss ong the label that could put your health at risk. and it's a mild start tomorrow morning with temperatures in the mid to upper 50s. but doug and i are here tracking the storm system that will be bringing us some rain tomorrow.

how'd you like a little kale with your coffee? it's part of a new partnership with starbucks and dannon yogurt to add new items to the menu. they're introducing three revolution fresh smoothies. you can add kale on request. it's been a trendy vegetable because of its health benefits. these are just available on the west coast and in select stores around the country. >> oh darn. news for your health now. many of the foods on store shelves have something hiding in the label. doreen gentzler joins us to explain the new information. doreen? >> hi there, jim. it comes down to how much salt is in our food. one new report says fewer of

half the products in american grocery stores meet fda sodium standards for what's considered a healthy food. the centers for disease control conducted a study in several parts of the country and researchers chose areas with low, medium and high rates of blood pressure which is linked to too much sodium. they found more than 70% of pizzas mixed pasta dishes and at least half of cold cuts soup and sandwiches exceeded what the fda considers a healthy labeling standard for sodium. researchers say this supports the idea this is difficult to consume a healthy amount of sodium. for years researchers have been warning us too much salt leads to high blood pressure which can affect your heart, blood vessels, kidneys and the rest of your body too. about one out of every three americans have high blood pressure and many don't know it even those trying to cut back on salt pat and jim, it's very difficult when you shop in the grocery store. >> thanks doreen. what makes a great grocery

store? you might say fresh food or low prices. consumer reporter erika gonzalez joins us from the newsroom with a just-released report on the best and the worst of the grocery stores in our area. >> that's right, pat. this report is based on ratings from nearly 63,000 consumer report subscribers. the winner hands down wegmans. it ranked number one for freshest produce, meat quality, cleanliness, rounding out the top four in our area. trader joe's, costco and the fresh market. now, coming up on news4 at 5:00 tonight, we are going to reveal which grocer came in last as well as the rankings of popular chains like safeway, giant, and harris teeter. all that coming up on news4 at 5:00. see you then. jarring new revelations in the crash of that germanwings claim. first at 4, what investigators have learned about the co-pilot who deliberately brought the plane down and what search crews have finally found in the wreckage.

wet weather headed our way. when showers will move in pz.

rain in the forecast for tomorrow. new information coming in on timing. i'll have that in minutes. plus shocking allegations against one of our areas biggest schools. >> what they're accused of doing to people in another country decades ago. and why they could have to pay up now.

the second black box found in the wreckage of the germanwings crash. >> as the investigation takes a dark turn today into the mind of the co-pilot in the days right before that crash. nbc's claudia levane reports. >> reporter: two major breakthroughs in the investigation into the germanwings crash. investigators in germany said they extracted some information from the tablet computer seized from the dusseldorf house of andreas lubitz, the co-pilot. they said somebody and in this case they must mean lubitz during the week before that flight searched online for two things. >> subsequently, the user was concerned with medical procedures but also informed himself about suicide methods. furthermore, on at least one day the person in question sent several minutes looking into cockpit doors and their security mechanisms. >> reporter: that suggests of course lubitz did have thoughts

of suicide before boarding that plane, but also that he may have planned to lock the pilot outside when he went to the pilot to then set that plane on a downward path that ended into sn the mountains. on the fresh sidench side of the investigation, the french prosecutor said they finally found after ten days the second black box, the one that contains all the technical information of that flight but also how the pilots responded to command. with that they can confirm that andreas lubitz did set the autopilot to 100 feet from an altitude of 38,000 feet therefore sending the plane into a path that ended into the mountains but also they can exclude once and for all that it was a mechanical failure that caused that crash. nbc news. what do we want? >> fair wage! >> if we don't get it? >> shut it down! >> airport employees on strike. workers at philadelphia international airport say they

are making as little as $7 per hour. they want the state living wage that was passed last year. that's $10.88 or more they want per hour. they're calling for better benefits and more sick days. the airport says a strike did not affect its operations. we've got some changes blowing in. amelia emphasis on wind out there, huh? >> yeah. breezy to even windy today. you're going to notice the winds on saturday but like i said earlier right on through monday there's going to be a little breeze at times. tomorrow it's our transition day to cooler weather. it's still mild but we are dealing with rain at times. new information of showers tomorrow continuing to indicate rain is really possible at any time. you want to have the umbrella handy. but there will be dry times too. your impact forecast because of the scattered showers, the weather having a low to moderate impact on your day, the rain could impact the morning as well as the evening commute. but when it's not raining it's going to be nice outside as far as the temperatures are concerned.

storm team 4 radar right now, the area is dry but back to the west in west virginia some rain there, then continuing. this is going to be the system that pushes through, cold front moves through tomorrow night. that's why we're cooler for our saturday. i'm going to show you skycast 4 throughout the day tomorrow. this is friday at 7:00 a.m. actually forecasting what the sky will look lick. you can see plenty of clouds and showers around 8:00 a.m. as we work our way toward the midday hours, still that threat of rain you can see here. very little sunshine in the forecast for tomorrow. scattered showers again, possible at any point, but i think if we do have dry time the best chance of that will actually be around the midday hours. here's your planner. showers possible at 7:00 a.m. temperature of 58 degrees. mainly cloudy mainly dry and near 70 by 11:00 a.m. 73 at 3:00 with a chance of showers. our high tomorrow 75 degrees. scattered showers at 7:00 p.m. and at that point that's the best chance where we might have a rumble of thunder or some heavier rain moving through the area. otherwise 73.

on saturday a high temperature of 58 degrees. a shower is possible very early on saturday before 8:00 a.m. after that clouds decrease. it's breezy to windy on saturday. eve an little breezy on sunday. you can see on sunday though it's warmer high temperature of 63 degrees. but if you do your easter egg hunt early in the day it's going to be chilly. let's take a look at those temperatures early sunday morning. starting you off at 8:00 a.m. a temperature of 42. by 10:00 a.m. it's 47 full sunshine nice at 11:00 a.m. temperature around 50. as we look to next week look at the temperatures. mid to upper 60s every day monday through thursday. national home-opener on monday. first pitch at 4:05 temperature at first pitch will be similar to our high temperature around 67. 60 degrees by the last maybe a light sweatshirt. nice monday and tuesday. then a chance of some showers wednesday and thursday. otherwise comfortable. spring is here. >> thanks amelia.

we are continuing to follow breaking news one week after a missing virginia boy was found dead. his parents have now been arrested. noah thomas' parents face charges of abuse and neglect. the 5-year-old boy's body was found in a septic tank in southwestern virginia last week. police say the cause of his death is still unclear. now some story ls we're working on in our newsroom this afternoon. we've all heard it before. slow down when you're passing roadwork. but police are taking it to the next level. we'll tell you about the plans to step up enforcement so that everyone stays safe on the roads. and it's something that many of you will soon be talking act, the new bug going around. and why there's not much doctors can do to stop it. towing trouble in arlington. northern virginia bureau chief julie carey gets a firsthand account of a scary situation. >> reporter: i'm julie carey in arlington. last friday afternoon, these two kids had quite a scare. their fuad dadd was inside the cvs picking up a prescription when a tow truck driver came up

and hooked their vehicle. >> the car started to lift up and i was, like scared. >> reporter: coming up on news4 at 5:00 i'll tell you what happened after that and why their dad is still upset about the incident. monuments around the world are lighting up. they're turning blue for world autism awareness day. this is the sixth year for the light it up blue campaign. today is about promoting awareness about the disorder and educating people on how to treat children and adults on the autism spectrum. decades later, a local college is facing some big accusations. the experiment abroad that the school now has to explain and it could have to pay a lot of money to deal with it. >> reporter: a woman was sexually assaulted this morning in the woods behind long branch library in silver spring. this is chris gordon. i'll tell you what police found when they searched the cri

a man pulled over three times in seven weeks. he posted photos on facebook and instagram each time. it's not clear why and where he's being stopped by police. he's tackled the issue of race relations in his stand-up routines. he's spoken out about the

nonindictments of police officers in case of eric garner and eric brown. a texas high school facility was under structure and collapsed this morning. it killed one crew member and injured three others. it is unclear how many workers were on-site at the time of this crash but officials confirmed no students or faculty were nearby. the site's being secured as investigators work to determine the exact cause of the collapse. johns hopkins university is facing a billion-dollar lawsuit. it stems from a horrific study conducted in central america more than 60 years ago. >> the most deceitful, despicable experiments that could ever have been conducted op human beings. >> reporter: paul beckman is one of the attorneys representing 774 victims and their family who is in a $1 billion lawsuit claim a group of hopkins doctors were the mastermind behind secret u.s. government-funded medical experiments on humans in the

1940s and 1950s. as part of the studies meant to see if penicillin could cure sexually transmitted diseases, hundreds of children psych yacht where i can patients and prison inmates in guatemala were infected with syphilis and gonorrhea without their knowledge and many were never treated. >> what they wanted to do was continue their experiments outside of the united states where nobody would know about it. >> reporter: johns hopkins says this was not a hopkins study but one the u.s. government ran. >> johns hopkins had no role in connection with the guatemala research. >> reporter: hopkins' lead attorney in this case, bob mathias, says those doctors employed by hopkins simply served on a federal research panel that approved spending for government medical experiments. you're saying the doctors who were on these panel who is approved the federal spending of this study did not know the scope of those experiments? >> there's no evidence that i've seen that sets forth the scope

of what would happen in guatemala. >> we have documents which we have and have produced which clearly show not only did they know about it but they kept it quiet. >> reporter: should present-day hopkins be held liable for alleged actions decades ago? >> i think it's an attempt by plaintiffs' lawyers to exploit an historical situation for their own monetary gain. >> what about accountability? what about responsibility for conducting experiments that even at the time under anybody's thought, should never have been conducted? right now at 5:00, new court documents reveal the twisted back story in the murder of a downtown hotel -- murder at a downtown hotel. online ads, a down-low rendezvous and a bloody bedroom confrontation. pat collins is live tonight with the suspected motive in the death of a d.c. lawyer.

>> it is beautiful today but i'm tracking a line of showers and thunderstorms. a woman is attacked in a silver spring park. who police are questioning and the concern it is triggering tonight. but up first at 5:00 tonight, breaking news, a person found dead in a neighborhood in annandale. news4's jackie bensen live near the scene on wadsworth court. jackie jackie what do you know? >> reporter: jim, there is a very large police presence here right now. fairfax county officers and detectives. you can see here at this garden apartment complex which is on little river turnpike in annandale. what i can tell you right now as police were called here about 3:30 inside one of the buildings they found a man. sours tell news4 he had signs of trauma what was believed to be stabbing injuries. at that point, police officers cordoned off the area with yellow tame. they are right now talking to people in the area. but what they have told us is that they do not believe this is a random event. they do not believe that there is a threat to the general public at this point in what

they are calling suspicious death investigation as of right now. we understand that detectives are working with a couple of translators to try and talk to the people who live in the surrounding apartments. this is a very busy area. there's a shopping center right next door. so that is why they need so many people here. when we get more information, we'll bring it to you. back to you. >> jackie bensen. also developing right now, new court documents reveal the motive as we learn about a d.c. lawyer's desperate attempt to save his life. as he faced his killer. david messerschmit was murdered inside the donovan hotel in february. news4's pat collins is live outside the courthouse. pat? >> reporter: wendy, he was looking for men. she was looking for money. it ended in a twisted case of murder at the donovan hotel. friends and family