. [ screaming ] can you catch a criminal? take our eyewitness test where we stage a robbery and see which details police need most. new information on the time square bomber. his terror training and escape plan. they were lovers two weeks from graduation. now he's in jail for killing her. new details on his criminal past. this is 9news now. >> tonight we are learning more about the university of virginia college student accused of murder. >> it seems this is not the first time 22-year-old george huguely has been in police custody. brittany morehouse joins us live now in charlottesville where students at uva are still trying to cope with the heart-breaking crime. >> reporter: derek, it is finals week here at the university of virginia. but even if it wasn't, you would be hard pressed to find any student who wants to talk on camera about this. that's because as one young lady puts it, she says this is a

serious problem. abuse against women. and that proved true weeks ago when they take back the night many people showed up to share their stories. now they're learning more about another violent incident in george huguely's past and that's when he was arrested for pub lib intoxication. -- public intoxication. it was in november of 2008 and the senior had to be shocked with a stun gun and the police officer with the levelling ton police officer says -- lexington police officer says he became abusive. >> reporter: tonight violence plays on the md as they study for finals, they take a moment to light canned follows for yeardley love. one senior explains why off camera. >> for students to be talking on the news on behalf of a girl whose family is in such deep

mourning is too in trusive. >> reporter: this is a place of higher learning and a tragedy like this calls for intra speks and more importantly on a campus where there are at least half a dozen sex assault groups for women, a tragedy like this calls for change. >> students are going to deal with this sort of loss that is a larger social problem and that is in reflecting and mourning her loss as a person but also in looking at it as a problem that needs to be addressed. >> reporter: george huguely is charged with first degree murder. an affidavit filed with the search warrant shows police found love face-first lying down in a pool of blood. huguely told police he had had a fight and he kicked in the door. the document provides a possible motive. he told police their relationship had just ended. live in charlottesville, brittany morehouse, 9news now. new tonight, the confused relationship between a school here in washington and the

suspect in the attempted time square bombing. the arrested man says he did it and tonight authorities are trying to determine whether he acted alone or is part of a larger international plot. gary nurenberg brings us the latest. >> reporter: he is pakistan native and naturalized american citizen arrested at an airport he admitted driving an suv into times square saturday night. authorities now call the explosive filled vehicle a weapon of mass destruction. >> make no mistake although the car bomb failed to properly detonate, this plot was a very serious attempt. >> reporter: speaking both before and after he was read his miranda rights, he said he was trained in this pakistan terror camp. the foiled time square attack is retribution for increasing american drone attacks targeting associates of the taliban. >> this is retaliation and you can expect that. let's not be naove.

they're not going to sort of sit and welcome you. sort of eliminate them. they're going to fight back. >> reporter: 9news now seem to be studying reports that he had been studying in southwest. the school successor is now exploring whether he studied in pakistan at a school associated with southeastern. he moved to connecticut in 2000, became a financial analyst, defaulted on this house and was living in a bridgeport apartment with his wife and children until he tried to run following the botched attack. as president obama praised investigators for quickness. >> we will not be terrorized. we will now coward in fear. we will be vigilant. >> reporter: there is lots of physical evidence linking shahzad to the events. several are being detained as investigators try to determine whether he acted alone. derek and anita. new at 11:00, a prince george's county funeral home has lost its license after a state

inspector discovered 40 bodies stacked in a garage. the chamber's funeral home in riverdale has until friday to complete any funeral arrangement and then is going to close down. the inspector with the maryland state board of morticians and funeral directors says he saw a large pile t12 by 12 feet of body bags containing human remains. the bodies were intended for cremation. what is next for teenagers accused of killing a loved principal. tonight a teenager sits behind bar. a judge arraigned the trio today in a courtroom with their next court date already set for the end of next month. prosecutors charge the teens with murder and ordered them to be held without bond. according to court documents, the suspects shariq lancaster's fingerprints were found insight betts's home. the 42-year-old was shot to death nearly three weeks ago.

investigators found alante shawn der's finger saunders fingerprints. >> he didn't do it. >> how do you know that? >> he's my son. >> we have a sad moment at the moment. >> police say they found much of betts' stolen belonging at the third suspect's home. deonte gray was there when police raided the place taking all three into custody. so far this year, at least seven young men under supervision of dc's justice system have been charged with murder, including all three suspects in betts' case. two had been released to parents or guardians. the mayor's efforts to return more to the community has lead to the release of violent offenders. >> mr. bets unfortunately would not have been killed by youth under the care or custody of the department of youth and rehabilitation services. >> the mayor says by law he cannot comment on youth offender

cases but attorney journal peter nickels is looking into the security status before their arrest. turning now to the disaster in the gulf, right now an estimated 2 million gallons of oil into the water. engineers are racing to stem the disastrous oil leak a mile beneath the surface. they're working on a contraption the size of a four-story building that will be lowered to the ocean floor to capture some of the escaping oil. but the solution could take three months to complete as they dig 13,000 feet below the sea floor. democratic congressman edward marky from massachusetts spoke today in dc about the cleanup effort. >> there are no guaranties, which is why every possible human effort must be taken in order to end this threat as soon as possible. >> meanwhile, the white house is pushing to lift the limit on how much bp pays for the gulf coast

oil spill. the obama administration wants congress to change a law that caps at $75 million. bp's liability for economic damages like lost wages or dwindling tourist dollars. the disaster began two weeks ago when an explosion and fire killed 11 workers aboard a drilling platform 50 miles off the coast of louisiana. this just in. election results for several races across virginia. i'm in the 9news now web center looking at the results on our website wusa9.com. in leesburg, kristin upstet won the race with 61% of the votes versus thomas dunn. in the town of culpeper coleman junior is the mayor. he got nearly 66% of the votes. for a complete list go to wusa9.com. a hot button issue. medical marijuana. tonight the medicinal use of pot is a big step closer to being legal in dc. >> i hope that within the next year to have medical marijuana available in the district for

truly sick individuals. >> that's dc council member who today helped to pass a bill legalizing medical marijuana use in the district. the mayor is expected to sign it. after that, congress has 30 days to review the measure. under this legislation, the city will set up a handful of locations where patients with chronic illnesses can buy marijuana. patients will receive financial help. patients will not be allowed to grow their own pot. [ screaming ] what you're abot to see is a robbery. we staged this heist to see how unknowing witnesses did. see what details police need most coming up next on 9 nudz now. i'm topper shutt. it's a nice evening, cooler evening. i'll take you out with wakeup weather. it's going to be a spectacular start to wednesday. 56-66.

light winds. spectacular. the only problem is the sun. bring your shades. i'll have the full forecast after this.

a health alert for women about the benefits of drinking that extra cup of coffee. a mayor clinic study of some 20,000 women found those who drank more than two and a half cups a day were less likely to

develop uterine or endometrial cancer. it is the most common women's reproductive cancer and claims foreign 7,000 lives a year. they don't know why coffee works this way when other caffeine sources don't seem to, but they think some compound in coffee affects women's hormones in a protective way. caught on tape in australia, a mini coup spins out of control and into a crowd. it was racing when the driver lost control. he tumbled multiple times before hitting a fence and crashing into some spectators. at least two people were hurt but are expected to survive. the driver only suffered minor injuries. if you witnessed a crime or were the victim of one, would you be able to identify the suspect? >> eyewitness misidentifications are the leading cause of wrongful convictions. that according to the innocent project. andrea mccarren is here with more on just how hard it is to be a good witness. >> reporter: derek and anita,

the numbers are staggering. inaccurate eyewitness accounts contributed to more than 75% of the 260 wrongful convictions in the united states all overturned by post conviction dna evidence. watch closely as you hear one man's story about what can happen in a case of mistaken identity. >> i just broke down and started crying. >> reporter: marvin anderson spent 15 years in prison for a rape he did not commit. >> i'm living proof every day that eyewitness identification is not enough to convict any person. >> reporter: anderson landed behind bars because of an inaccurate eyewitness account. he was ultimately exonerated by dna evidence. [ screaming ] >> okay. now. >> reh the help of maryland criminology professor and his unsuspecting students, we staged a crime in their lecture hall. [ screaming ] >> reporter: as

often happens, the perpetrator of the crime was only visible to startled witnesses for a matter of seconds. >> i jumped back and i was disoriented. lights were off. very confused what was going on. i was more focussing on her. she was the one screaming. >> reporter: many students focused on the victim. >> she had blondish hair midway down her back. >> she is period to be white. >> she looked like an average black female. >> reporter: or they remembered what the suspect was wearing. >> he had like i think a darkish colored baseball cap, gray shirt and jeans. the incident was in the first row and i was in the third row. >> reporter: proximity didn't guarantee a better description. >> i was probably less than five feet away. i didn't catch a glimpse of everything. >> reporter: we asked students who sat at different locations in the lecture hall exactly what they saw. >> i think he had sandy brown hair, possibly 5'10". >> i want to say facial hair but i'm like skeptical saying it.

i don't have a beyond a reasonable doubt saying it. >> reporter: any personal items that you can remember? >> not really. >> reporter: we wondered if a deaf student in the class might have heightened powers of visual observation. >> i wasn't paying as much attention to the guy but the girl was dark skinned and dark haired. she had a black shirt and jeans on. >> reporter: indeed she had a vivid description but only of the victim. was the guy white, black, any identifying characteristics like facial hair, glasses, anything you remember? >> uh-uh. [ screaming ] >> reporter: as often happens, the shock of witnessing a crime impeded the student's ability to recall critical details. >> if i had been expecting it, i would have taken better note of everything that was going on. >> he was slender, kind of a little skinny. >> 5'9".

5'5". >>. >> everybody say hello to erika. >> reporter: after the crime we introduced our victim and suspect to the class. scott, can you tell us how tall are you and what is your weight. >> 6-foot, 205. >> reporter: nobody noticed one of the permanent features on him. a distinctive tattoo on his upper arm. >> i mentioned it. >> reporter: 15 years ago the professor staged a dramatic purse snatching in his classes. >> a white suspect was stealing a purse from a black woman. >> reporter: but the suspect and him were both armed. >> he turned around and pulled a gun at me at which point i pulled a gun at him and we actually fired guns. >> reporter: the guns fired blanks but the stress led to startling inaccurate perceptions. >> a number of them saw a black man stealing from a white woman when it was just the opposite. >> reporter: truth that even things that unfold right before your eyes are not always what they see. not only were we surprised by how differently students viewed

the very same crime, we were stunned that no one attempted to help the victim. >> i was surprised by that as well. but i guess the question remains how do you become a better witness? >> you want to look for some permanent physical characteristics like a scar, a limp, an accent, even a missing tooth, rather than focusing only on a suspect's clothing. but if there is something unique or unusual about the suspect is wearing, maybe a unusual logo on a ball cap, that may be worth noting. >> all right. it sounds like eyewitness accounts should not be counted on too much. >> now dna has replaced them for the most part. >> there you go. great stuff. thank you so much for that. we appreciate it. all right. here is your forecast first. a pretty good deal really. we have changed day three. beautiful tomorrow. sunshine. 80 degrees. no problems there. 85 on thursday. a little warmer. and a chance for a couple of thunderstorms. now, there will be few and far between thursday afternoon and evening. but the ones that develop could be rather hefty. what we did was lowered

temperatures on friday down to 78. still lots of sunshine. we just lowered temperatures a little bit. tonight clear skies and cooler. if you haven't been out, you'll feel it. it's 54 to 62. the winds will be light. tomorrow morning great. sunny and pleasant. 60s and 70s. light winds and mr. bernstein will have your bus stop forecast at 4:25 in the morning. and, again, coming eastbound tomorrow will be a bear because of the pure sun. by afternoon -- it's a good problem to have. by afternoon mostly sunny. just spectacular. high temperatures around 80s. winds will turn a little bit out of the southeast but they will be light and only at ten. so really pretty much picture perfect day tomorrow. all right. zone forecast all six zones on our website at wusa9.com. and essentially sunshine from the mountains to the coast. 76 in cumberland. upper 70s, not quite 80, in winchester and martinsburg and hagerstown. 83 in culpeper. you folks down towards madison county south will have some

temperatures in the low 80s. 80s in warrenton with sunshine. 80s in leesburg. all pretty much pure sun. downtown around 80 to the low 80s. 80 in gaithersburg. we're looking at temperatures near baltimore and annapolis. it will probably change, though, on thursday. next seven days, 80s tomorrow. spectacular. 85 on thursday. a few afternoon and evening thunderstorms. a little cooler but nice on friday. 78. we have another frontal system coming in friday night. most of the showers will be confined to the overnight hours so it's going to work out pretty well. it's going to cool off on saturday but by the time you wake up it will be nice. at least when i wake up it will be nice. 72. sunshine on mother's day. bright and brisk back in the mid 60s. >> it is the schedule we work. >> it is. >> thanks, top. an all new david letterman will be on after 9news now. here is a sneak peek. >> good news, ladies and gentlemen. the time squares bomber has been

apprehended and i say thank you, iron man. [ laughing ] >> tonight actor russell crow will be on with musical guest sharon jones. so the question of the night is who killed the nationals and took over their bodies? >> i don't know. [ laughing ] >> did you ever in a million years think we would be a month into the season and they would have a better record than the red sox. it's a bizarre world we're living in. and how about the story of hernandez. he wasn't even supposed to be in the rotation. now he is their 8th. his surprising season continues at the ballpark tonight. plus a taser debate raises on. right or wrong to zap that phillies fan. your answer coming up next. [ beeping ]

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it's time for 9 sports with brett haber, the best sports in town. >> so as the nats wait for steven strathsburg is hundred mile an hour fast ball, how ironic is it the best pitcher for now couldn't break a painted glass. he was out of work has not only been the nats best starter, he's been the best starter in baseball. back at it tonight. 0.8 era. five and a third just one earned

run. some guys throw. lebo pitches. look at roger. laying out well worth the grass stains on the uniform. robbing extra bases. josh willingam and adam dunn all with solo shots. the nats cruise 6-3. meanwhile south capital street is one step closer. the nats promoting their top pick from double a to triple a today. he moves where he will make his first start to the chiefs this friday night. the assumption being that he'll make four or five starts there and then get called up to the show in early june. but gm mike ri zoe told us today he doesn't want to wait. that's the confidence level we want him to be at. but he understands that we're doing what is best for him and what's best for the franchise and the organization and he's on

board with every step. >> we're counting the days. >> oz in the bronx tonight -- o's in the bronx tonight. guys would rather walk in a run than give a rod a hit. they fell to the yankees 4-1. sad news out of detroit tonight as baseball mourns the passing of legendary broadcaster horn well. he became one of the most beloved and respected announcers. the body will lie in re pose at the park for several days. earny harwell was 92. >> if you've ever been at a game against the phillies, you've had the urge to put electricity into somebody but last night somebody actually did it. when steven ran on to the field

at citizens bank park, a philadelphia police officer brought him to the ground with a taser gun. it is thought to be the first time a taser has been used to subdue a trespassing fan and the debate is raging today over whether or not that was excessive use of force. we ask you to chime in. our 9 sports poll question were the police justified in tazing the phillies fan and the numbers say 53% of you agree that it was okay to do. you can still vote at wusa9.com. i would be in that 53%. finally, a little hazing by the atlantic braves. a kid hits a walkoff homerun to beat the phillies. but look at the team. as he's rounding they're all going. when he gets back, there is nobody in the dugout. they're trying to disappear. they punk him. it's all empty. there they are in the dugout. they're crafty down there. >> they didn't taz him down there, did they? >> no. the first time in baseball you could use the phrase bro, don't

taz me, bro. >>. [ laughing ] >> we'll be right back. [ laughs ]

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and that's 9news for tonight. don't forget we're always on wusa9.com. >> and if you're up extra early, so are we. 9news now starts at 4:25 a.m. letterman is up next. goodnight, folks. ♪ ♪ this is the a-b-c of a perfect harmony. ♪ ♪ hey. ♪ hey. ♪ hey. ♪ hey. ♪ the a-b-c of l-o-v-e. ♪ the a-b-c of l-o-v-e. ♪ hey. ♪ hey. ♪ hey. ♪ hey.

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