where he would commit suicide, killing himself. we learned a lot of information about ashley. let's get you caught up with that. we understand that he was enrolled part-time at radford university. he was a business management major. radford pd also saying ashley is the man who stole a mercedes- benz at gunpoint from gilbert real estate. that was on wednesday. the next day, yesterday on thursday, that mercedes suv was found at the virginia tech campus. now we also understand that he kept a local address in redford, virginia, ashley lived along the 1,000 block of east main street in radford. so much information coming in right now. we're going to keep everything monitored. this vigil over here has just wrapped up and investigators tell us they are trying to figure out what the motive behind all of this was. still no motive here tonight. we are learning more about this killer. back to you. >> ken, we look forward to hearing from you later on. more about the campus police

officer who was killed. his name, deriek crouse. he was a husband, a father, and a soldier. now his family trying to come to grips with the fact that he is gone. >> you just get to a point where you think that someone is invincible and nothing is going to happen to him. and that's just a complete shock. >> it hasn't set in yet. to see his picture on tv, you feel so proud of him and everything he accomplished. >> derek enlisted in the army after graduating from carol county high. he served an 18 month duty in iraq. he leaves behind his wife, tina, his 16-year-old, dustin, and four stepchildren. more breaking news out of virginia. this is a semi truck versus the freight train. they collided in gainesville.

sky 9 out over the scene shortly after it went down. no word on any injuries or what caused all this. we'll bring you that information as soon as we know about it. now, an update to the shooting involving a state trooper down on i-95. the man shot during a struggle with the trooper is dead. police say 32-year-old herbert wheeler died from his injuries earlier this morning. we are also learning more about what led up to that altercation. a dmv special agent tried to stop wheeler for reckless driving yesterday afternoon on i-95. but wheeler abandoned his car and ran off. michael later spotted him walking along the interstate, struggled to put him in his car. and that is when wheeler reached for the trooper's gun, it went off, and wounded that trooper in the leg. then the trooper shot wheeler with another gun. trooper hamer was taken to the hospital. he's expected to make a full recovery. former council member, leslie johnson is headed to federal prison and today, a judge sentenced her to jail time just four days despite her

request for probation. >> i'm scott broom at the federal courthouse in green belt where forme prince georges county council member learned today she will be going to prison for 12 months and a day and paying a $15,000 fine. >> what do you want me to do with this money? >> put it in your panties and walk out of the house. >> johnson stuffing bribe money in her underwear, flushing $100,000 check down the toilet with the fbi banging on the door. in court today, johnson said, i'm extremely sorry for and ashamed of my conduct. her lawyer called it a thoughtless reaction to protect her husband of 35 years. johnson denied she was part of husband jack johnson's bribery schemes. that doesn't compute with me, judge peter said, he responded, you are not an innocent spouse. >> put it in your panties. >> the phone call cannot be erased from prince georges county's collective memory. >> stuff it in your panties.

and her husband, jack, sentenced monday to seven years and three months in federal prison. the governing body of the maryland state university system voted down a proposal to merge the university of maryland flagship campus in college park with its campus in baltimore. instead of a merger, the governing board voted to encourage greater collaboration between the two campuses. college park has more than 37,000 under grads and grad students. however, it has no medical or law school. the baltimore campus is home to seven professional and grad schools. supporters of a merger said it would help the university system get more research dollars. a merger would cost a lot of money. hey top, what does it look like outside? getting pretty cold. >> it is getting cold. the good news is the winds haven't picked up. usher in the coldest air of the season. let's talk about what is going on right now. temperatures not bad in town. notice it's 46 downtown.

but the suburbs are in the 30s. 34 in rockville and frederick rather. and looking at 37 in leesburg and 36 in manassas. so this is not even the cold air just yet. for tonight, we have a full moon. some clouds after midnight. breezy and cold. a two blanket night. winds out of the northwest at 10 to 15. a partial lunar eclipse tomorrow morning. go to our website and check on my blog and find out more about that. we'll come back and talk about the forecast of the army navy game and look ahead to next week. we have been joined on set by former prince georges county state's attorney, glenn ivy who has his eye on a seat in the congress. good to have you with us. >> thanks for having me. >> you were the top law enforcement guy in the county for quite some time. did you have any idea this was coming? >> no, i really didn't. we had some information about some of the credit card issues and some of the other minor things, but really, we referred that to the state prosecutors.

the feds generated this on their own. >> there have been rumors and thoughts that prince georges county was a pay to play kind of developers. you didn't have some sense that the county executive may have gone corrupt. >> i can only tell you that i knew and the information we had and that's the information about what i just said, we referred to the state prosecutor. the federal investigators, i think, did a great job of building the case. mainly working through information that they had that led them to developers that set up the tapes that captured jack johnson on audio and video tape. >> as you look at the atmosphere in the county today, you think this is over now? is the county going to get past this and move to a place where there's not a sense of corruption in the development process? >> i think so. i think new legislation has been passed. more importantly, you have new people in those positions. baker is the county executive. i think he is doing an

outstanding job of setting the right tone for the county government. a new county council in place, i think is doing the same thing. i think it is helping to get the county back on the right track with the economic development efforts. >> as you look back, jack johnson is not the first person in prince georges county to have these issues. there was a long-term sense that things weren't quite right. why did it get that way? >> i would dispute that. when wayne currie was the county executive, i would strongly argue that was not the sense and the development we had like national harbor, for example, which began under his leadership, i don't think there was any evidence whatsoever that he did anything like that. i think that's wrong. >> fair enough. was jack johnson treated fairly? some argue he got a tougher sentence because he is black. >> original sentencing numbers were 11 to 14. blagojevich got the full 14. based on the fact he accepted responsibility, but also

cooperating with federal investigators. so you know, i guess the question that comes out of that is, is there another shoe that will drop soon? >> there may well be. thank you for your time. >> coming up, a special holiday treat for military families. we jump on board the snowfall express. but first, another proposal to extend the payroll tax leads to another failure. why the latest republican plan is dead on arrival. that's up next. brad, where we going? just a second. just, just one second. ♪ what are you looking at? don't look up there. why are you looking up? ♪ get outta the car. get outta the car. ♪ are you ok? the... get in the car. get in the car! [ male announcer ] the epa estimated 42 mpg highway chevy cruze eco. from spending time together, to spending your lives together, chevy runs deep.

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the gridlock continuing in the u.s. congress. house republicans introduced a new bill extending it through next year. their proposal would pay for the tax cut by cutting pay of federal workers and raising some medicare premiums. it also includes a clause requiring the white house to issue a permit for the keystone pipeline within two months. that's the pipeline that runs from canada down to texas. democrats say that makes a bill dead on arrival in the u.s. senate. >> their proposal doesn't have a shot. it is one of the republican senators as what we are doing here is pointless. >> republican leaders in congress are still playing politics at the expense of middle class families. >> republicans do plan to vote on the bill next week.

john boehner says the bill is a compromise between both parties and is worthy of the president's signature. >> the controversy dream act, one step closer to heading to a public vote next year. announced it is no longer challenging to petition that would put the issue on the ballot. they will continue a lawsuit. the dream act allows illegal immigrants who meet certain requirements to pay in state tuition. >> another cold night on tap, but the most frigid temperatures are out there. top tells us where they are and how long it will be before they get here. and they don't speed away to escape. they speed over to target for a little shopping? we'll have details on the cab jack coming up next.

the washington, d.c. veteran's affairs medical center and wusa9 salute all who serve at home and abroad this holiday season. >> hi, i'm arden smith, i'm with 117. i'd like to wish my daughters alexis and taylor and wife, donna, a happy holidays and happy thanksgiving. a cabby taken for a ride by passengers who wanted to go shopping. now that couple could face kidnapping charges. >> i'm lindsey mastis in

rockville. police need help identifying two suspects that took a cabby on a wild ride and went shopping. a cab picks up a couple wednesday evening. they asked to go to target in rockville. >> he was placed in fear from the very beginning. >> once they arrived here at target, all three got out of the cab. police say the driver was forced into the passenger seat and one of the suspects got behind the wheel. they drove off, but eventually ended up back here at target and went shopping. the couple walked into the store and they leave with a cart full of items. the female suspect appears to be pregnant. when they were done shopping, the couple got away. in rockville, i'm lindsey mastis, 9news now. >> if you know anything about those folks, contact detectives directly. the number is on your screen. 240-773-6084. out at national airport today, it was all aboard for

the snowball express. for the past few years, businesses banded together to treat hundreds of military families from all over the nation to a vacation. and today, several families from the d.c. area were off for dallas, texas. among those making the trip, angela and her son, zaine. >> we didn't have the best experience coming from, well my husband passed, we weren't treated that great and you know, the last year and a half, we found out a will the of survivor organizations and this has been one of the most healing experiences for myself and my son and we really look forward to it every year. >> and down in texas, the families will be treated to a rodeo, a concert, and a trip to the six flags amusement park. for the first time ever, america's game is headed to america's capital. it's army versus navy. crews at the stadium wrapping up the preparations today for the big game, painting the school names in the end zones. neither team is bowl eligible this season.

in fact, they have losing seasons, but a lot riding on this game. navy looking to extend the series. you can watch the 112th army navy game right here on 9news at 2:30. tonight at 9:00, we'll get you ready for a game with a welcome at the historic 2001 game. you'll be among the first in the nation to see a documentary about the player who played in that game and then went off to war. we'll also show you how both teams are gearing up for what amounts to their super bowl. that's tonight, 9:00, right here on 9news now. who is hosting that? do you know? >> what do you mean? >> the special. i am. >> okay. all right, a nice weekend. >> it's going to be cold for that game, huh? >> yeah. in fact, much colder than the redskin game. think in layers this weekend. satellite picture radar

combined. a weak cold front on the map. it is producing a little bit of snow and a little bit of a mixed bag in portions of ohio and the ohio valley. produced a little bit of snow if you were with us earlier in omaha, nebraska. it will throw some clouds our way, after midnight, and then once it goes through, it will be through early tomorrow morning. the cold air will pour in. a strong northwest wind all of tomorrow. so that's going to make mid 40s feel much, much cooler. temperatures right now, 40 in bethesda. 43 arlington. some 30s. 37 out toward gaithersburg. 38 in great falls and 36 already in reston. this is not the cold night. sunny, but a cold weekend. windy and cold. bundle up for the army, navy game. perhaps our coldest night so far. and bundle up for the redskin game. not much wind on sunday, but still, low to mid 40s is not exactly warm. you're just sitting around. clouds later after midnight. breezy and cold. low temperatures in the 30s.

winds will become northwesterly at 10 to 15 and gusty by dawn. lows tonight, because of the clouds and wind, above freezing about everywhere. 34 in gaithersburg. 35 in college park. downtown upper 30s. out to the west, you're getting close to freezing. 34 in reston and 32 also in manassas. now tomorrow morning, returning mostly sunny, breezy and cold. you'll need your coat and sunglasses. temperatures in the 30s to around 40. temperatures don't go up a whole bunch by afternoon. mostly sunny, but breezy and cold. highs 40 to 45 and winds northwesterly at 10 to 15. pretty much the entire day. so we'll break it down. the start, 7:00, you're in the 30s. by noon, a lot of sunshine, but 39 to 44 and then by evening, clear skies, 40 to 45 and temperatures will fall like a stone tomorrow night. i will guarantee that. the next three days. sunday we're still cold. 45. but not as breezy for the redskin game. and chilly on monday. not a bad way to start the

workweek. redskin forecast, mostly sunny and cold. i hope you're in the sun. patriots, high temperatures near 45. but again, the good news, winds light. next seven days, monday we're near 50. we should make 50 on tuesday with sunshine. not quite 50 on wednesday. clouds come in late. maybe some showers wednesday night. that's a warm front because it gets warmer on thursday and friday. some showers possible late thursday night, early friday morning. but look at the it happens. we're back in the mid 50s late in the week. and reminder, a lunar eclipse here tomorrow morning. go on my blog and find out more about it. >> very cool, top. >> from our weird news file, a story from a category we like to call, why would anyone do this? the 7th antarctic ice marathon. 36 athletes and 17 countries somehow made their way down to compete down there. now they said the conditions were perfect. it's not a horrible blizzard

going on. everyone had to have their skin protected. it's tricky, because when it's sub zero, sweating is in the enemy. you'll freeze to death out there. nobody froze to death, everybody finished. the winner, a french guy. he says he set a personal best. that's the good news. i'm sure they will do an 8th. >> remember what they say, hot can kill. >> i never heard that. we want to hear what you think. send your e-mails to mcginty's mail bag. the address, mailbag@wusa9.com. 9news now will be right back. ♪

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[ male announcer ] want great taste? honey nut cheerios. want whole grain oats that can help lower cholesterol? honey nut cheerios. it's a win win. good? [ crunching, sipping ] be happy. be healthy. can i try yours? in the mail bag tonight, reaction today to the sentencing of leslie johnson. the wife of corruption, prince georges county executive, jack johnson. tracy jones could not believe that mrs. johnson tried to claim she didn't know anything about her husband's wrong doing. this defense is full of bull. you mean to tell me she never questioned why they had all of this extra money? there's no way that a wife can live in the same house with her husband and not know that there is that much extra money coming in. actually tracy, sometimes the spouse really does not know,

but i think that the put the money in your panties thing says that mrs. johnson was in on it. nonetheless, more inclined to have mercy on the johnsons. i feel bad for them. wouldn't wish that on anybody. hopefully they learned a valuable lesson. i'm sure we all have, at least they didn't do worse than that. you know, that is without question the minority viewpoint out there. most of you were furious with the johnsons, but robert said don't be surprised if there's a political comeback. marion barry has a felony conviction and look where he is. you can bet that she will run for office again and the sad part is, the voters in maryland will vote for her. she should receive the same sentence as her crooked husband. for the record, marion barry's convictions are misdemeanors. could there be a political comeback for either johnson? i'm going to pass the buck on that one. what do you think? don't forget, include your name and where you are writing us

from. that is our report. we'll be right back here at 11:00 along with anita brikman and you can log on any time to wusa9.com. you have a great evening. we'll talk to you later. bye bye.

now, "entertainment tonight," the most watched entertainment newsmagazine in the world. kim kardashian's ex, kris humphries, speaks out. >> do you still love her? >> the fallout from his new interview today. how he's getting over kim. plus, new brad and angelina out in l.a. then, "e.t." is counting down hollywood's top five comeback kids. >> i'm like the happiest girl in the world. >> paula abdul, britney spears, sylvester stallone. kirstie alley, john travolta. >> i have had about five, six comebacks. >> the stars who nearly lost it all and how they ended up back on top. >> a couple of years ago, i was fourth lead in spy kids. just behind a dancing bear. now in depth on the biggest entertainment stories from around the world. hi, everybody, and welcome to "entertainment tonight." i'm nancy o'dell. mark steines is on assignment.