on this friday night, sentenced to death. breaking news from boston as the marathon bomber is told he will die for his crimes. jurors crying in the courtroom. and tonight, survivors reacts to the sentence. the engineer speaks. what he's just told investigators about the amtrak disaster. and why the fbi is now involved. also tonight, surviving a crash. where experts say is the safest place to sit. tragic discovery in nepal. search crews find the wreckage of the missing chopper carrying six u.s. marines on an aid mission. what happened. and the king of the blues is gone. tonight we remember the legendary b.b. king. "nightly news" begins right now. >> announcer: from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news."

reporting tonight, lester holt. good evening. what a crushing way to of responsibility to decide whether someone lives or dies. tonight a boston jury who saw every gruesome picture, heard every heartbreaking story of loss and suffering, has spoken on the fate of marathon bomber dzhokhar tsarnaev unanimously voting he be put to death for his crimes. four died over 200 injured. some of those who survived are speaking out about the verdict. nbc's pete wims has been covering this story from the start. he's outside the courthouse now. pete good evening. >> reporter: lester good evening. the jury deliberated just 15 hours after four weeks of testimony in this pep at phase of the trial, rejecting a plea from defense lawyers to send him to prison for life. dzhokhar tsarnaev becomes the first person in the u.s. sentenced to death for an act of terrorism in nearly two decades,

since timothy mcveigh executed for bombing the oklahoma city federal building in 1995. >> we send a message, a strong message that we're not going to tolerate terrorism. and i think whether you agree with the death penalty or don't, i think the message sent that they're not going to blow up our marathon they're not going to blow up our city. >> reporter: the jury unanimously said he should face the death penalties of the victims of the bombs he placed 8-year-old richard and lindsey lie. but not crystal, for the bomb planted by his brother, or sean collier. there was no clear evidence about which of the brothers pulled the trigger. the jury rejected the claim that czartsarnaev was responsible for the bombings. he later slumped in his chair as he has throughout the trial. victims and family members listened in solemn silence as the verdict was read. the parents of martin

richard said nothing afterward. they publicly opposed the death penalty after he was found guilty last month. liz norton whose construction worker sons lost their right legs in the bombings said she's grateful for the verdict. >> i feel justice for my family. >> reporter: karen broussard permanently injured agreed. >> once the verdict came in it was like okay now we can start from here. and go forward. and really feel like it's behind us. >> reporter: sydney corcoran who nearly bled to death and her mother lost both legs tweeted, my mother think now he will go away and we can go on. michael ward put it this way. >> he's going to go to hell. that's where he wanted to go. he's going to get there quicker than he thought. >> reporter: tsarnaev will eventually be moved to a prison in indiana, set to die in the lethal injection chamber. but it has not been used for a dozen years

despite death sentences imposed on 44 criminals. their executions delayed in part by the drugs used for capital punishment. lawyers will begin a long process of appeal hoping to get the sentence reduced to life. >> this is going to last a decade or more. we're going to be hearing about this case for many years to come. >> reporter: several jurors wept after the verdict was announced, after 61 days of often gut-wrenching testimony. defense lawyers said sentencing tsarnaev to life in prison would be more appropriate, under severe restrictions. but the jury rejected that unanimously. lester? >> pete williams in boston tonight. thanks. another big story we're covering this evening, a lot of late breaking developments into the investigation of the deadly amtrak disaster in philadelphia. this evening, investigators revealed what the engineer who was at the controls is telling them about the crash, and the fbi is now involved. trying to determine if the train was struck by something before the crash. nbc's tom costello has

late details. tom? >> reporter: hi lester. good evening. the focus remains on this engineer but also on that other train that came through this north philadelphia area just before train 188 did. and that train was hit by a projectile. the question is whether was train 188 also hit by something. for the first time since tuesday's derailment ntsb investigators have heard from the man at the center of the investigation, 32-year-old engineer brandon bostion, who said the last thing he recalls is ringing his bell as he left the north philly train station. >> he has no recollection of anything past that. he reported no fatigue throughout the day, or any illness throughout the day. >> reporter: just moments before tuesday's crash, another regional septa train was hit by a projectile shattering its they've seen something suspicion on train 188's windshield. >> we have seen damage to the left-hand lower portion of the amtrak

windshield that we have asked the fbi to come in and look at for us. >> reporter: the heavily used northeast corridor snakes through dense neighborhoods, for trains heading north from philadelphia station the track curves right, a 65-mile-per-hour speed limit. then accelerates on a straightaway to 80 miles per hour for less than a minute and a half. before braking to 50 for a sharp left curve. on tuesday, the train went into the curve at 106 miles per hour. engineer fritz elder worked the line for 25 years. >> the equipment we have is designed to accelerate quickly. it can quickly get away from you. >> reporter: to ensure engineers pay attention, alarms go off every few seconds requiring them to hit a button indicating their alert. >> the system is telling me this is a 40-mile-per-hour curve. >> reporter: the new positive train control technology could monitor and stop a speeding train but it's not yet up and running on this stretch of track. >> we're committed to safety.

we're going to have positive train control by the end of this year. >> reporter: an offduty employee injured in the crash has filed the first lawsuit against amtrak. bruce phillips claims he was violently hurled inside the rail car and suffered possible brain trauma. >> it's negligence. it's beyond negligence you have a case here where there's active technology that could actually have avoided this accident. >> reporter: tonight the ntsb says it's looking at video cameras from both trains for any signs of projectiles or suspects. lester? >> tom, thank you. tonight confirmation of the news six military families have been fearing. the wreckage of a helicopter carrying u.s. marines has been found in nepal where they were helping after the earthquake. officials say there is no indication of survivors. the crew was based at camp pendleton near san diego. our national correspondent miguel almaguer is there. >> reporter: the intense three-day search took rescue teams deep into nepal's forest in the rugged unforgiving

terrain the downed huey was spotted. >> they were selfless individuals dedicated to the mumt yan aid mission here in nepal. we are deeply saddened by the discovery of this recage. >> reporter: the six marines and two nepalese members aboard the victims have yet to be officially identified family members fear the worst. >> i told him many times that i was proud of him and i loved him. the biggest thing i'm going to miss from him is his hugs. >> reporter: chris was a helicopter pilot. a 31-year-old high school football coach who had just called home on mother's day. >> my son's my hero. and he is with me now, and always will be. >> reporter: 22-year-old lance corporal jacob was a videographer in nepal documenting the relief effort.

his father spoke in arizona. >> you'll never find a better son. devoted and dedicated. and the love for his mother and his family like nothing you've ever seen. >> reporter: captain lucas was an aviation safety officer. >> we stand with nepal. >> reporter: his wife pregnant with their second child in san diego. crew chief ward mark johnson iv was in charge of maintaining the helicopter. he was set to retire from the marines. the president today said these service members demonstrate the best of american leadership and sacrifice. >> they went to that remote land to help people who suffered devastating losses in a terrible earthquake. they represent a truth that guides our work around the world. >> reporter: the helicopter that took off tuesday, part of an air squadron team based here from camp pendleton in san diego apparently sent out no distraes calls. search teams will

continue in just a few hours in nepal when the sun rises. >> miguel thank you. a dangerous night may be in store for the planes where a number of tornado watches are in effect. a massive storm is moving across the country tonight stretching 1,200 miles long. it already produced at least one tornado an hour east of denver. the severe threat grows tomorrow with heavy rain large hail and strong winds forecast for much of texas and the midsection. and several states are also at risk for severe weather sunday. texas in particular has been hit hard this week with heavy rains, creating a 40-foot sinkhole in a parking lot in north texas. tonight marks the end of a long week for jeb bush who stumbled on monday over a question about the iraq war. and has struggled since then to put daylight between him and his brother's legacy on iraq without appearing to turn his back on the former president. senior white house correspondent chris jansing has another on a potential blow to

bush's white house ambitions. >> reporter: what had already been a pretty bad week for jeb bush today seemed to get worse. >> i'm not planning to endorse anybody. >> reporter: the republican strategist behind george w. bush's two winning presidential campaigns -- >> the architect, karl rove. >> reporter: -- was pointedly noncommit al about jeb. >> i want to win. and i have a long friendship with the family and a long friendship with jeb. but i'm like a lot of people sitting on the sidelines watching and waiting. >> reporter: an apparent snub. but analysts say bush may not want the endorsement. >> it would take us right back to the whole, is this just the latest chapter in the bush family. >> reporter: still, it adds to the growing perception that jeb bush is the man with the name and the money, the rep race remains wide open no clear front-runner. tomorrow in iowa bush will be one of 11 republicans speaking at the lincoln dinner. in iowa not friendly territory for jeb bush more moderate than the typical

republican voter here. plus they're not happy he's decided to skip this summer's straw poll. >> knowing what we know now, would you have authorized the invasion? >> i would have. >> reporter: it would take three more answers over four days to finally get this. >> would not have gone into iraq. >> reporter: the good news for jeb bush the iowa caucuses are more than eight months away. chris jansing, nbc news iowa. >> this brings us to our political director chuck todd. chuck, sounds like a lot of maneuvering room. eight months is a lot of time. >> it sure is. i think the biggest news of the week is what we learned that not only is jeb bush not the front-runner for the republican nomination but there is no front-runner for the republican nomination. i think jeb had a bad week and it could linger for him. maybe he doesn't know how to get out of his brother's shadow. but we realize it is a crowded field at the top. scott walker is the

man in iowa. rand paul's the guy who polls best against hillary clinton. jeb bush is the man with money. but with little else. and marco rubio is the buzz candidate. so that's the good news if you're a political junkie this is going to be fun to watch. but nervous for some republicans who don't like the idea that it's this wide open. if it's this wide open it leads to a lot of internal fighting. >> we'll see you this sunday for "meet the press." republican presidential senator rand paul of kentucky as one of his guests. when disaster strikes, do you know the safest place to sit on a train to increase your chances of survival. we get the answer from the man who literally wrote the book on rail safety. also the moment that stunned so many fans. a music star goes right over the edge. out of 42 vehicles based on 6 different criteria, why did a panel of 11 automotive experts

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in the wake of that terrible train crash in philadelphia, there is a question many of us have been asking ourselves, what are the odds that you would survive if something like this happened to a train that you were on. according to the experts, it may all depend where you're sitting. nbc's stephanie gosk explains. >> reporter: the aerial over train 188 tells the deadly story. that's the first car ripped apart. the second car didn't fare much better. at least two of the passengers killed were in those two cars. where people choose to sit on a train can determine whether or not they walk away from a crash.

>> i've always told my wife to sit in the middle of the train. >> reporter: larry mann is the author of the federal railway safety act. >> i've been involved in railroad accidents since 1970. and i've analyzed numerous accidents. the middle of the train is by far the safest. >> reporter: there is no definitive study, but there are recent examples that suggest the first and last cars can be the deadliest. whether the accident in on-track collision or a derailment. in 2008, a california commuter train barreled into a freight car. 25 killed, 22 of them in the first car. in 2013, a new york city commuter train derailed killing four people. all of them were sitting in the first three cars. if you're fortunate to find a seat in a middle car, preferably on the aisle away from the windows, it doesn't necessarily eliminate all the risks. in a derailment, especially on a short train, every single car can topple over. in the uk, a broken

rail crash killed four people. all of them were in the cafe car, the seventh of nine cars on the train. trains still remain one of the safest ways to travel. in the u.s., in 2013, only six train passengers lost their lives. compare that to the 28,000 deaths on the road. the seat behind the wheel still far more deadly than any seat on a train. stephanie gosk, nbc news, new york. up next tonight, late word about an iconic store beloved by so many kids. what's happening to the place where tom hanks famously danced on the keyboard. i told myself for so long that i needed to quit smoking. i would quit then i'd go right back to it. chantix absolutely helped me quit smoking. along with support, chantix (varenicline) is proven to help people quit smoking. chantix helped reduce my urge to smoke. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. some people had seizures while taking chantix. if you have any of these

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toys "r" us said they're looking for a new location, but not quite yet. if mayweather pacquiao was supposed to be the fight of the century, then this is the most unlikely fight of the century. mitt romney is boxing former heavyweight champ evander holyfield tonight in salt lake city. it's for real, and it's for charity. romney is 16 years older and 57 pounds lighter. they will be wearing full protective gear. scary moments caught on camera when u2's the edge went off the edge, during a concert in vancouver last night when he took a bad step right off the stage. it comes six months after bono was badly injured in a bike accident. he's back on stage, but still recovering. meantime the edge posted a photo of his bruises on instagram with the caption, didn't see the edge. i'm okay. when we come back, farewell to the king. a look back at the life and music of a blues legend. ♪ ♪ ♪ at chase, we cay

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at his las vegas home yesterday after an extended illness. messages of condolences at the b.b. king blues club here in new york starring a flower is there on the king's star hollywood walk of fame. the historic b.b. king museum, a simple black bow on a guitar. these pictures courtesy of our jackson, mississippi, affiliate wlbt. b.b. king was an ambassador of the blues, went from humble beginnings to worldwide fame in a career that spanned decades. b.b. king's voice and those signature guitar licks helped propel the blues into the mainstream. the undisputed king of blues was born riley b. king in 1925 on a mississippi delta plantation. his break came in memphis, where he got radio play, club dates, and that nickname. >> i never asked you what b.b. stands for. >> it stands for blues

boy. i was a disk jockey back in memphis at the beginning of my career. and they called me the beal street blues boy. >> his first hit came in 1951, "3:00 blues." but this 1969 classic became his signature song. ♪ the thrill has gone away ♪ >> he called his guitar lucille. and boy, could he make lucille sing. even some of his famous peers looked up to him. >> how much of an influence has he had on your life, and your career? >> every guitar player that i know those shoes will never be filled. >> rock stars who loved the blues, loved b.b. king. ♪ rock me baby ♪ >> eric clapton remembered his friend today. >> he was a beacon for all of us who loved this kind of music.

and i thank him from the bottom of my heart. >> 15 grammys, a member of the rock 'n roll hall of fame, the presidential medal of freedom. he even sang with a president. ♪ ain't no place like sweet home chicago ♪ >> people call me king of the blues. i've heard it many, many times. do you think i think that? no, i don't. i think there are a lot of people doing exactly what i do, and a lot of them can do it better. not just me. >> b.b. king was a timeless national treasure. ♪ got to be a better world ♪ >> b.b. king was 89. and boy, will he be missed. that's going to do it for us on this friday night. i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching, and good

night.

lights camera access. >> many of them say you're a hypocrite. >> once again, he dances around the questions, but did cosby just finally acknowledge he has