new for 2012. plantation grown solid mahogany and mahogany very nears. i was set on fire with gasoline. >> the faces of domestic violence. >> he beat me and raped me. >> tell the stories of pain and perseverance. >> tonight 9 wants you to know domestic violence is never okay and this newscast is here to help. she did everything she was

supposed to, sadly that could be the he taff for any number of domestic violence victims including heather mcfire. >> she was shot in the head and killed and dumped by anny estranged husband who would hours later kill himself. 9 want you to know it did not have to end this way and it does not have to for those desperately struggling in abusive relationships. we'll talk about the way out and the pain left behind. but first heather mcguire a woman who apparently trusted the system to protect her at least hoped it would be enough. >> this grainy black and white video from a nearby gas station camera be lice the bloody carnage on kensington when phillip deliberate made good on his threat to kill his wife heather mcguire. he dumped her body at connecticut avenue and knowles.

hours later they found his body in a house in rockville. he apparently killed himself. three days earlier he she had gone to a commissioner. saying she believed gilbertty might kill her. each time he got out. last time the judge releasing him on a $57,000 unsecured bond. >> the judge who made the ruling in this case is the judge. he is a good judge. unfortunately it's come to my attention the computers in the courtroom were down. the criminal history of this guy was not available. >> gilbertty's criminal history extends become decades. assault drugs steroids. 7 years for trying to kill another girlfriend. >> did the system fail heather mcguire. >> i will say heather mcguire did everything she needed to

do. >> one in four women in this country have experienced severe physical violence from their partner. that's according to the cdc. >> there is no way to ignore this next statistic. women who leave their abusers especially at first are 75% greater risk of severe injury or death than those who stay. so the crucial question is how does a woman get out? but in a way that keeps her safe. for that we got some straight answers and advice from tv's dr. phil. earlier this year i had a chance to sit down with the psychologist at his studios in los angeles. he says one of the reasons he launched his talk show 10 years ago was to end the sai lens that often surrounds domestic violence. >> there's a right way and wrong way to get out of a violent relationship. if you do it the wrong way you are really at risk. the highest risk you ever have for serious injury or death in a violent relationship are the weeks immediately after you leave that relationship. you don't watch the dr. phil

show or some other dealing with this and become all empowered and get up in your abusers face. that's a good way to get killed. because there's an imbalance of power there. men are bigger, they are stronger, we're built different, our muscles are different. a big part of domestic violence is control, and when they feel the control slipping away, they panic. they get frustrated so they up the ante, and that's when they are likely to chase you down, find you, hurt you, kill you in some way. >> dr. phil says the best way to leave is a concrete exit plan a packed suitcase second set of case and all vital documents, birth certificates passports insurance policies ready to go. but district housing alliance says for some that may be realizing you're in an abusive relationship.

>> abuse can be so many different things than just physical abuse. it could include intimidation, isolation, economic abuse, using children. so there are a lot of different ways that it manifests. >> she says after you have recognized there is in fact a problem call and get some help. contact police or safe house. >> in fact her organization provides sheltering and counseling to women who left those abusive relationship. tonight gary learned how some broke free >> reporter: in their own apartments with their kids these survivors of abuse now have hope and memories of the pain. >> i was unconscious. i ended up, he broke my nose. i had a concussion. >> head injuries by hitting, slapping, in front of my son. glass ashtray slashed my face.

>> he beat me and raped me so bad. and my daughter was in the house. she didn't see, but i know that she heard. she heard mommy hollering and she heard mommy saying stop and he wouldn't. so, the next day i planned just to get what i could get and to get out. >> my son said something to me, mom this is not good. we cannot live like this. and those words helped me to make the decision. >> i was in the hospital i said no more. i'm not going back. i said, i'm not going back.

and then i called a shelter hotline number. >> reporter: at dash she has her own apartment with her son. >> we're decorating it. >> reporter: just having a safe place. >> no good me the key she gave me the key to open the door. i was just so happy. i felt safe. it was like a new awakening. i was just so grateful. that's the word. i was just so grateful that it was a place that i could go with my baby and feel safe. >> reporter: but it takes a decision. >> try to get that inner strength that is inside t. look around especially at the kids look at the sadness in their eyes look at the sadness in the mirror in your eyes and say

enough is enough, it's not going to get any better unless i make a change now. >> i see something big coming for me. >> i'm so blessed. these are tears of joy right now. i am so blessed. it's awesome. it's awesome. if you want it you can get it. it's right here. it's right here. you can get it. >> reporter: with that first step. >> some very powerful encouragement if you want to see the interviews log on to wusa9.com plus you'll also find a link to the dash web site which has some tests you can take to determine if you are the victim of abuse because remember not all of it is physical. go to wusa9.com. joining me now derek is yvette cade a survivor of a vicious attack by her abusive

husband 7 years ago when he cornered you poured gasoline on you set you on fire 60% of your body burned also joining is your adult daughter champagne thank you for being here laid. >> thank you. >> you tried to use protective orders but it wasn't enough. >> it was not enough. getting a protective order is only a piece of paper. at that point you are really in danger by the perpetrator. my ex-husband, we were separated for 10 months, and i thought that, you know, things were going to go well and i could get my divorce, but that only set his anxiety and wanted to know what i was doing and made him very angry. >> and now you've gone from being a victim to an advocate, and you were telling may earlier you tell women getting that support network letting co- workers know what's going on, what do you tell women who are trying to get out? >> i tell women that you need

to have a plan. you can call the house of ruth, the national domestic violence hotline and just get all the support that you can. you need to let as many people know around you on your job, wherever you go and that he knew of, let them know that your life is in danger so they can all be prepared for what may or may not happen. >> right because so many women stay silent and don't tell the people around them about that. let's talk to you champagne. what about the children who go through this and then move on into their adult lives? what advice can you give having been through this for those people? >> you want your children to be able to come and talk to you and have the knowledge and confidence to deal with their emotions and know that you're there in situations like these. >> so again we're talking about what we've been saying all along is stopping the sai lens talking about it and making sure you have resources for help not just a piece of

paper. >> yes. there is a domestic hotline for the children if they don't feel comfortable talking to their parents they can reach out to organizations and they will different them different avenues. >> we hope many people do reach out and get out. thank you ladies. >> thank you. still ahead a health alert. there are new guidelines for women on a certain kind of cancer screening. plus virginia tech found guilty of negligence in the 2007 school shootings. we have reaction. and is the washington monument sinking? why the government wants to know. that's coming up. p. i'm meteorologist topper shutt. here's your wake up weather. another mild start. 48-56 at 7:00. another warm start. we'll talk about the breaking

record highs tomorrow and celestial treat you could see tonight.

. nearly five years after the virginia tech massacre families of two of the victims won their wrongful death lawsuit today against the university. >> the families say the verdict proves the school's

response to those shootings was inadequate. virginia tech administrators continue to insist otherwise. >> awards and damages in the sum of $4 million. >> reporter: it was a release of emotion several years in the making after an 8 day trial and 3 hours of deliberations, a jury awarded the families of two slain virginia tech students $4 million apiece. the wrongful death lawsuit was brought against virginia tech by the families of are own peterson. >> she couldn't speak anymore. so we had to do it. >> reporter: and julia pride, who was a 23-year-old graduate student from new jersey. >> certainly was an end of a long process for us. >> reporter: most of the families of the massacres 30 other murder victims agreed to an 11 million-dollar settlement reached back in 2008. lawyers in this case successfully argued that peterson and pride were killed

in norris hall might still be alive today if virginia tech police had warned the campus of the initial shootings in a virginia tech dormitory. >> strength truth she spoke for other people. >> reporter: after the verdict was read the peterson and pride families talked about their lost loved ones and the pane full road that led to the victory in court. >> she always put herself in a position to speak for people who were too weak to speak for themselves. >> we wanted to get more truth and accountability. so we came here and so this is what happened. >> reporter: despite the verdict virginia tech continued to insist that neither campus police nor school administrators were negligent the day of the shooting. in a statement a university spokesman said quote, the heinous crimes committed by sunk lee joe were an unprecedented act of violence that no one could have foreseen. immediately after the verdict the state of virginia filed a motion to reduce the 8 million-

dollar award citing state law in virginia caps awards in wrongful death lawsuits against the state a hundred thousand dollars per case unless the governor agrees to waive the cap. >> wonder what governor mcdonald will do. thank you matt. the district officer campaign finance has launched what it calls a random and routine audit of councilmember vincent obvious 2011 campaign. this as he is dealing with questions about campaign contributions linked to d. c. businessman jeff thompson. thompson has contracts with city hall worth hundreds of mills of dollars and he's also a major campaign donor to just about every single d. c. councilmember. the of be i and irs rated thompson's home and office sources tell us a handful of council members have gotten federal busy in connection with investigation into possible campaign irregularities. a georgetown man charged with killing his wife may be faking mental illness. however doctors want more time

to evaluate him. we're talking about albrecht muth he's the man accused of killing his 91-year-old wife viola drath. a judge ruled that muth is temporarily mentally incompetent to stand trial. in tonight's health alerted a government task for is releasing new guidelines for cervical cancer screening it recommends healthy women between the ages of 21 and 65 only need to have a pap test every three years not heavier. plus women ages 30 and older than extend screening to 5 years if they undergo hp v test and it's negative. doctors say over screening is leading to unnecessary procedures and biopsies that can increase complications in pregnancy. >> it is as effective as reducing cancer deaths as annual screening but we have substantially less false positive tests. >> if if she believes this is what's okay and i'll be safe screen me every three years i would go with that.

>> we need to point out this is screening for cervical cancer testing this does not mean you do not see your gynecologist every year. this was he lease by the american cancer society and other groups have come on board with similar relations. is the washington monument or sinking or perhaps tilting in the wake of last year's earthquake? that's what a team of government surveyors is trying to figure out. they are not expecting to find any major changes but they say the findings could impact plans for repairing the d. c. landmark. as you'll remember the monument cracked and crumbled during the 5.8 magnitude quake last august and it's expected to remain closed to visitors until next year. >> d. c. is a swamp so it's perfectly possible. we had 81 today, not a record. but now we have a new date on the cherry blossoms. the peak has moved up to the 20th or 23rd. get the out of town folks here

quickly. we should point this out you can't touch the blossoms or trees or pull them off or anything. they will write you a ticket. let's take a live look outside. if you haven't done this go outside look to the west. you'll see jupiter and venus very close together and it looks really quite nice p. spectacular. live weather cam brought to you by michael and son. want to show you the weather cam you can't see it with a camera. trust may it's very, very spectacular. winds out of the south at 7 pressure rising 31.9 inches of mercury. temperature 66 still downtown at 11:00 in mid march. that's a little weird. here's the deal you're going to need shades tomorrow but no jacket. plenty warm. the record highs are possible. record high tomorrow is 81 nashville. 82 b wi all of those are going to be threatened more like june that's when we see temps in the 80s. afternoon thunderstorm possible tomorrow isolated a much better chance however tomorrow night and into friday.

so overnight clear skies, mild again zero to no blanket. zero to one bracket. 48 to 56 and winds light and that's a good thing. we had a lot of warm air last week but we had strong winds with it. >> not the case tomorrow. mostly sunny in the morning. grab your shades 50s and 60s with light wind even in the after with temperatures in the low to mid 80s. winds out of the southwest at 10 pretty nice day partly cloudy even warmer we'll keep the chance of a shower or thunderstorm. they will be few and far between and primarily west of i- 81 and particularly in the mountains. high temps tomorrow 83 downtown. 83 arlington. 80 in leaseberg and monday ases 83 in college park low 80s in bowie and low 80s southern maryland and charles county. let's break it down for you. the start we're looking at 52 to 60 with generally clear skies. by name some areas will be over 80. 76 to 81 by noon, by evening 78

to 84 isolated shower or thunderstorm is possible. now the next three days a much better chance of showers and storms on friday. we get docked a little bit in terms of temperatures, but still 74. saturday suntrust rock and roll marathon fantastic. slight chance of shower in the morning and evening should not affect anything. 74 degrees. if you're running the race it will be in the upper 50s and low 60s during the race. now next 7 days, we stay pretty warm. i mean generally in the 70s. we're looking at temperatures low to mid-70s. as we get into the weekend. we'll keep sunday dry, a little bit cooler than mid-70s on monday maybe a shower spring officially arrives on tuesday. of course seems like it was here in february. 76, and then 76 maybe a shower on wednesday. so, everything is popping lake crazy right now. next week is going to be crazy. >> i am feeling my allergies. >> pollen is high good point. >> all right. kristen is up next with sports.

we'll see you then.

. the expectations for

georgetown this year weren't very high with a roster stocked mostly of freshman and sophomores but the hoyas finished 5th in the conference and going dancing for the 6th time in the last 8 years. the number 3 seed they will face 14 seed belmonton friday. j. t. 3 and the gang loaded their gear and themselves on to a bus this afternoon to begin their journey to columbus. despite their numerous patternes in the ncaa tournament in the past the hoyas vice-president had much to expect. getting upset in the last two years. emotions were running high as the team left d. c. >> lot of emotions we tried to put them to the side. it definitely plays a part intensity level goes up that much higher. >> this season is starting to wind down. last time i'll be playing college basketball but i try not to think about it. i try to focus on the game. >> the hoyas will play at 3

this friday in columbus that game will be broadcast on true tv. go to wusa9.com to find out where to tune in. dave owens will be live from columbus starting tomorrow. ncaa a action tonight. cardinals taking on vermont. ford mcglen was on fire. hits the three pointer he had 18 points off the bench of as vermont advances to play north carolina. the redskins wasted no time in free agency adding to the the receiving core they signed garrison and josh morgan. they haven't begin up on getting eddie royal. they have turned their attention to defense they have serious holes to fill in the secondary after releasing a taking way on monday and won't resign la ron landry. they hosted chicago bears safety brandon merry weather

and expected to host cornerback ryan ross from the new york giants on friday. he finished last season with 4 interceptions and 60 tackles. time to turn our attention to high school game of the week about. we have o'connell. langley versus o'connell battlefield taking on west field girls lacrosse and girls soft bowl. down in kiss me stephen extrasberg getting the start three runs already given up jason heyward takes another. that's the braves second home run of the day off the all mighty righty that's lose 6-5. not the greatest day. he'll rebound. >> he'll pick it up. >> we'll be right back.

. don't forget with usa is your home for this year's suntrust rock and roll marathon. >> the race is saturday march 17th. takes runners through all four quad rants of d. c. 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. get to the web site wusa9.com. >> good night everybody.

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