no fingerprints and no hairs or fibers, putting the salvadoran gang banger at the murder scene, it is the final chapter in a case that has fascinated washington for nearly a decade. bruce leshan has been falling it from back in the very beginning in 2001. he was at the courthouse for today's verdict. bruce? >> reporter: yeah, lesli. despite the verdict, this case remains a cautionary tale about how easily an investigation can go wrong and how hard it can be to put it back on track. today up here in courtroom 320 in the courthouse behind me, ingmar gaundique after the verdict, threw the headphones he had been using, threw them down on the table and then shook his head no, when his lawyer tried to talk to him. chandra levy's mother gasped and then smiled. it has been nearly a decade, but for chandra levy's mother, the guilty verdict for ingmar gaundique is justice at long last. >> i have a feeling that my daughter is with me and i can

speak her voice. >> reporter: but ingmar gaundique very nearly got away with murder. for months after the young intern, chandra levy, disappeared, police and the press focused almost blindly on former congressman gary condit. convinced he was lying, convinced he was involved in the murder of the young woman with whom he had been having an affair. years after chandra levy's body was found, investigative reporters wrote a series that helped refocus the case on gaundique. >> the police had tunnel vision on this case, and the press rushed to judgment. >> if you can have a congressman who is suspected of murder and then actually nail him for murder? i mean, that's a hell of a case. that you will be remembered forever as the detective who broke that case, or the reporter who put it together. >> reporter: but jurors say there was plenty of evidence against the salvadoran gang member. jailhouse confessions, attacks on two other women in rock

creek park that looked almost identical to what happened to chandra levy. a prison pen pal who says he told her about a muc h ahcha muerta, a dead girl. >> the jurors put aside all the rumors and speculation and focused on testified and they delivered a verdict. we want to thank them for their hard work. you know, this tunnel vision is an old, old story. back in the sniper attacks in 2002, it was the white box truck. in some ways gary condit was the white box truck in this case. but today, a jury says ingmar gaundique murdered chandra levy and gary condit had nothing to do with it. lesli? >> boy, that is an incredible twist in an incredible case. bruce, when is sentencing and how much time in prison is gaundique facing? >> reporter: yeah, sentencing

is slated for february 11. gaundique could face 30 years to life in prison without the possibility of parole. we have not heard from the defense attorneys, and we don't know at this point whether they plan to appeal. all right. bruce leshan reporting. thank you. and after three-and-a-half days of secret deliberations, some jurors broke their silence today just moments after delivering their guilty verdict. we continue our team coverage with delia goncalves outside the courthouse. delia, you talked about what jurors looked at in terms of evidence that helped them make their decision. >> reporter: yeah, the jurors that came out, there were about a half dozen jurors who came out. three approached the microphone and spoke directly to reporters about their experience, and calling it really a grueling deliberation. they did not get into details, but they did talk about all that evidence. more than 100 pieces of evidence from 11 days of testimony. in fact, the jurors say the testimonies of two women who were attacked by ingmar gaundique helped them make

their decision. the women testified they were jogging in rock creek park back in 2001 when gaundique approached them from behind but ran off when they fought back. the jurors who spoke to reporters today outside the courthouse said those stories were among the most memorable from this trial. >> it was powerful. >> why was it powerful? >> just because of the emotion i think. they were very -- it was -- i think it would have been hard for anybody in that courtroom not to be moved by their stories. it was very powerful testimony. >> reporter: when another juror was asked bromwich the case and how it was handled, all she said was police weren't the only ones who were on the wrong track. lesli? >> you were in courtroom 320 when the verdict was read, and you talked earlier about how some jurors were very emotional. talk to us more about that. >> reporter: it was pretty dramatic and quite surprising to see three jurors actually breaking down in tears, one woman in the front wiping her eyes, several times with a

tissue. clearly very upset. she was one of the three jurors who came out and talked to reporters and described what she was feeling. she said it is a huge responsibility that affects many lives. she said at one point she had doubts, but not any more. >> been a decade in the making, delia, thank you for that. updating our breaking news from 5:00, one person is dead after a fire at the intersection of 16th and oak streets northwest. apparently five people were evacuated from the house. our brittany morehouse just got to the scene. britt, what else do we know right now? >> i want to tell anyone driving through northwest d.c., avoid 16th street at all cost. they have this road completely blocked from newton north up to spring. a big section near mount pleasant near columbia heights and police are redirecting traffic downed 1way streets. that is causing -- oneway streets. around 3:30, someone passing by a three-story rowhouse here on

16th and oaks, noticed heavy smoking coming from the top floor. when firefighters arrived within about a minute-and-a- half they found heavy flames coming out of the windows from the top floor. after extinguishing the fire they found one person who died in the bedroom area of the third floor. now the fire is under investigation. they believe it could be due to some renovation that was going on. they found some construction materials. but there is another concern here, when firefighters first arrived, the first closest hydrant that they tapped into, that actual nozzle bloke off. they had to take -- broke off. they had to take the hoses a block away. they said it didn't hamper their efforts but it is a concern. here is what the chief had to say there. >> you got to remember, this is an older city. the infrastructure is old. you got to remember, when these hydrants were placed it was probably 50 to 5 years ago when these -- 75 years ago when these hydrants were placed. >> reporter: so one person dead, five people evacuated

from the house. they are interviewing family members. we will be looking into the fire hydrant issue tonight at 11:00. brittany morehouse reporting. thank you. a grandmother from indiana accuses airport security of asking her to pull down her underwear during a body search. this happened at a checkpoint in houston. sandra murdock says she has titanium in her leg, the result of a knee replacement and the metal set off the checkpoint alarm. that led to a body search and murdock said it went way too far. >> put her hands up my skirt. that's when she asked me to pull my underwear down. >> reporter: the tsa says it is reviewing the allegations and will take appropriate action if necessary. coming up on 9 news now, a judge rules on a lawsuit in the virginia tech shooting. and local companies team up to give a specialing thanksgiving to area soldiers and their families. very nice outside. temperatures in the 50s and 60s. we will come back and talk about travel day and talk about

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families in new zealand are desperate for good news as time runs out to save 29 trapped miners. no one has heard from them since an explosion last friday. toxic and explosive gases are preventing rescue teams from going underground. and mining officials say a successful rescue is becoming much less likely. still, those miners' families are holding out hope. >> we have got faith they are going to be coming up and they are safe. but it is just how long will it take to find out for sure what is going on down there? >> mining officials believe a build-up of methane gas led to the explosion and the fear of triggering another blast is hampering the rescue effort.

but teams have started drilling a shaft in hopes of making contact with the miners. a new consumer spending report shows we're going to spend slightly more this holiday season in our balanced books look a little better than last year. but to keep that holiday debt under control, here's some things you can do. plan for next year by opening a christmas club or holiday account and put a little away each month. shop after christmas for next year. you will certainly get great deals. and payoff those debts quickly. in fact, you're less likely to go overboard if you use cash. coming up next on 9 news now, why police are looking into the possibility that one man is responsible for a series of rapes. we'll be right whack. -- back lots of lotions promised healing.

this one actually does it. [ female announcer ] gold bond ultimate healing lotion. nothing feels like it, smells like it, heals like it. gold bond. this stuff really works. she was grabbed from behind and raped in the woods. police say it has happened in the neighborhood before. now they want to know if the same man is responsible for a string of rapes in aspen hill. lindsey mastis brings us the latest on the investigation. >> reporter: do you know this man? police say he raped a 52-year- old woman overnight saturday. and they are looking to question him. it happened at this intersection. police say she just crossed

hewitt, going north on georgia avenue when a man approached her and dragged her into the woods. >> grabbed from behind, taken into a wooded area and raped. >> reporter: montgomery county police say the man's description is similar to two other attackers. >> he is described as an hispanic male, 5'5" tall, short dark hair, a medium build. >> reporter: last month a 30- year-old woman was sexually assaulted in the woods across the street from the aspen hills shopping center. police say they got this picture of the suspect from a surveillance camera. and in june, police say a 26- year-old woman was raped by two near aspen hill road. >> shocking, kind of scary thinking about it. >> i am very shocked. very shocked. i really hope they catch the guy that did it. >> reporter: the news has maria thinking twice about bringing her daughter here. >> i did get a little creeped out one time because, you know, i was walking around and there were piles of beer cans. another pile of beer cans, and then by the creek there were

like clothes hung up, things like that. i started getting worried. >> reporter: the attacks happened at night and all within about a two--mile radius, but police can't say for sure whether one man is responsible for all three attacks. >> we are investigating that possibility. >> reporter: in aspen hill, lindsey mastis, 9 news now. >> police hope someone recognizes the pictures and comes forward with information. you can take a closer look at the suspects on our website, www.wusa9.com a virginia judge says the lawsuit filed against two virginia tech administrators can go forward. university president charles steiger and former vice president james hyatt face a $10 million suit filed by the families of two students killed in the 2007 shootings at the school. their attorneys had asked for the suit to be dismissed because they say the men are protected by sovereign immunity. but the judge said steiger and hyatt are not high-ranking

government officials and are not protected from personal liability. more than 1 million people in the d.c. area are expected to head out of town for thanksgiving this year. and vdot is trying to help them avoid grid lock. all temporary lane closures will be removed starting wednesday at noon. and they do not go back into effect until noon next monday. vdot is also lifting hov restrictions on interstates 66, 95, and 395 for thanksgiving day. it is time for a check on the evening rush. richard andre is here with your time saver traffic. how are the roads looking now? >> at this point in the evening not too bad although we have quite a bit of slow spot still southbound 395, virginia, from washington boulevard to duke street. take it easy through there. beyond that point it looks like on i-95 southbound below the beltway, there will be slowing to 183. then past that point on and off continuing to about quantico. also on the beltway, montgomery county slow in both loops. but all lanes will be open in both directions. it will also be slow and sluggish we will say on the

inner loop coming up as you come up from the dulles toll road towards 270, that section of the inner loop is sluggish as well, lesli. with anything just days away -- thanksgiving just days away, operation homefront teamed up to to make the holiday easier for soldiers. they handed out book boxes of supplies at the d.c. armory today. hundreds of members of the d.c. national guard were able to get a full thanksgiving dinner. i like to see that. >> good stuff. >> it is good stuff. it is good stuff. how is the weather going to be for thanksgiving? >> tennessee travel day looks pretty good. -- well, you know, the travel day looks pretty good. >> okay. >> maybe too warm for a fire if you like fires but -- it may be wet, too. let's talk about temperature. feels more like october. 58 still downtown. 55 in bethesda. 57 out in leesburg for crying out loud. that is way toesy turvy. even off to the south and west, warm in manassas.

and 54 in fairfax. these are quite a bit above average. let's talk about travel day on wednesday. i know some folks make tuesday the travel day but we will focus on wednesday. showers in portland and perhaps san francisco, a pretty good snowstorm will go on in the northern rockies working its way to the northern plain states. if you fly to minneapolis or denver you may have problems with snow. arctic blasts across the northern rockies. super cold. some areas will be below zero during the day on wednesday. showers, des moines, st. louis, kansas city, little rock back to dallas, could be a cause for some delays but at least it is not snow. good news, east now we're in great shape, essentially from raleigh to boston, back to detroit. including pittsburgh and cincinnati and cleveland. going to be chilly to cool, yes, but it will be mostly sunny. so if your plans take you in the immediate metro area or mid atlantic region, it should be very nice, weather-wise. not traffic-wise, weather-wise. nice travel day. mild tomorrow with a afternoon shower or two. showers end tuesday night. cooler but nice on wednesday. and wet and a little milder on

thanksgiving. but i think the showers will be primarily in the morning. may have some sun in the afternoon. partly to mostly cloudy. breezy and mild tonight. 46 to 52. winds out of the southwest at 10 to 15. i think the winds will preclude the formation of fog tomorrow morning. we had dense fog this morning. lows tonight, well, 46 in gaithersburg . one of the cooler readings. 52 downtown. 48 in bowie. out to the west, upper 40s, too. 48 in fair fakes" fax and reston -- fairfax and reston. and those are the colder readings we can find. tomorrow morning, partly sunny, breezy and mild. grab your shades. 40s and 50s. winds southwest 10 to 15 and then by afternoon, clouds come in as the cold front approach bus breezy and mild. a few -- approaches but breezy and mild. a few showers. high temperatures mid 60s. winds southwest at 10 to 15. so next three days, showers tomorrow in the afternoon. kind of cool but nice on wednesday. and we're looking at a little milder on thanksgiving with a few showers. but i think we will see sun

also on thanksgiving. next seven days, a cold rain sets up on friday. the moisture gets out of here before the cold air gets in here so i have no more snow flakes on the seven-day forecast. but saturday and sunday, chilly. in fact, i lowered saturday to 50. and sunday, i believe the 'skins are in town. kind of a chilly day. we have to tune in to figure out who is going to show up and play. >> i know. i thought the 'skins would mail the rest of the season in but i was totally wrong about that. just when you're ready to write these guys off they man up and do what they did yesterday. how the 'skins beat the titans despite a hospital ward full of injuries. and speaking of which, a new inspired christmas carol. ode to the injuries coming up next.

it is time for 9 sports

with brad haber, the best sports in town. >> there are two things you can do when you hit rock bottom. i think we can all agree last monday's debacle against the eagles was rock bottom. you can fold up your tents and admit the season is not going anywhere and mail in the last seven games of the year or you can man up and bounce. that is what the redskins did in nashville. after allowing seven touchdowns the year before in philly, t he 'skins held the titans to one touchdown. donovan mcnabb, 30 of 50, 376 yards. as the 'skins showed heart as fans didn't know they had any. >> we came out and knew it would be battle. for us to pull it out together. >> come in here against tennessee which is a very gunshot a great team. hard to win here. so to get that victory is big for us. >> perhaps the most amazing part of yesterday's win is the fact the redskins lost eight players to injury during the

game. clinton portis, lore lorenzo -- inspiring a new holiday hit on itunes right now. ♪[ music ] ♪ on the 12th day of christmas, the redskins gave to me, 12 ports hernias, 11 ankle sprains, 10 neck stingers, 9 concussions, 8 chill sprain achilles spains, five torn ham strings. four turf toes, three torned groins, two acls and one self conditioning test i'm sorry, glee is on the phone. >> feels like christmas morning in here doesn't it? i swear i sang it in a different key. never mind. here is what the 'skins had to say about battling through the injuries. >> you know, i have all these guys banged up, still go out here and fight and claw and

give everything we got to get a win. like i said, a testment to the staff. >> i don't think i ever had that many guys go down and the team keep fighting and find a way to win. >> the vikings come to town this coming sunday with with a new head coach. brad childress fired this morning as minnesota slipped to 3-7 yesterday. brett favre will now ignore interim head coach leslie frazier. time for to you pick our w ww.dc.net playoff game of the week. damascus and connor frazier host wild lake. top seeded stone bridge goes up against hayfield . cast your vote right now. www.d.c..highschoolsports.net something strange happened to the caps over the weekend. first back to back defeats for the caps over a month but they get the perfect remedy tonight.

the devils, at 5-13 and 2, new jersey has the worst record in the eastern conference. the caps exploded for a season- high seven goals against the devils when the two teams met back in october. tonight the caps have to remember what they did back in that game and rinse and repeat. >> it >> we just want to start the week off right. >> we know they are a great team and just matter of time before they start getting some wins. i am sure they are desperate. any team playing desperate hockey with the skill they have is definitely a tough contender. finally tonight one of the big time brazilian soccer teams had a club outing to a local go- cart track for a team building expedition and nearly wiped out the whole squad squad. a 35 car pile-up prompting the coach to say next time we're going bowling. for team-building. that might be worse. don't go go-carting in the rain. by the way, i really like the song. >> it was -- i swear i didn't get to sing it in the right

key. i couldn't hear it -- >> that's it for us. katie couric will see you next with the cbs evening news. we will see you at 7:00. have a great night!