. >> ashley markham can't answer these questions either, but as the eldest daughter of the billings she met with us at the home of her lawyer to talk about the future and what happened to her parents. >> it has been very overwhelming. i don't think i have had my personal time. there's a lot more to worry about right now than stopping and grieving. >> you haven't had a chance yet? >> i really haven't. i have to keep going for the children. >> and there are a lot of them. bud and melanie billings had a staggering 17 children. all but four adopted. the nine still living at home have down syndrome, autism and fetal alcohol syndrome. what motivates a couple to adopt so many children with such challenging needs? >> i believe their motivation came from giving these children a better life. they found these children to be perfect. >> what was it like seeing your mom day to day dealing with these children? >> there weren't moments where she fell apart or ever thought she couldn't do it. it was, you know, i'm going to do it if nobody wants to help me, i'll do it by myself. she loved children. that

meanwhile, the billings' oldest daughter, ashley markham, is raising the children. while also fielding rumors about why her parents were killed. she spoke with abc's jeffrey kofman. >> reporter: in court document, it alleges there was a lone shooter. leonard patrick gonzalez jr. he has maintained his innocence. but it's not clear why. why did the perpetrators plan 30 days for a lightning-fast home invasion, to leave two parents dead and nine children orphans. >> i think i've had my personal time. there's a lot more to worry about right now than stopping and grieving. >> reporter: you haven't had a chance yet? >> i really haven't. i have to keep going for the children. >> reporter: and there are a lot of them. bud and melanie billings had a staggering 17 children. all but four adopted. the nine still living at home have down syndrome, autism, and feetle alcohol syndrome. until this week, ashley was running the car dealership that her father started. but billings also owned a strip club that he sold years ago. that has fueled rumor and speculation, that he was involve

we will be calling on you again. >> thank you. >> larry: crystal spencer, the attorney for ashley markhamimportant for me to uh check my blood sugar before i go on stage. being on when i'm feeling low can be like a rollercoaster. it does at times feel like my body is telling me to do one thing... and, my mind, my heart is telling me to do something else. managing my highs and lows is super important. with my contour meter i can personalize my high/lo settings so it really does micromanage where my blood sugar needs to be. i'm nick jonas and never slowing down is my simple win. >> larry: he's been outstandingly cooperative through this. he is sheriff david morgan. he come to us from pensacola. what's the status, david, of the investigation right this minute? >> well, we're very confident, larry, that we have the primary suspect in custody primarily i mean those of the seven people that entered that compound where the billings lived, the violent criminaled if, you will, are incarcerated. of course, our latest suspect is bonded out. but we feel very confident that during this investigation w

ashley markham says he will be moving back into her parents home. >>> and senator ted kennedy is using his own battle against brain cancer to make an emotional pitch for health care reform. writing in "news week," he called it the cause of my life. he said every american should be able to get the same treatment that u.s. senators are entitled to. >>> and coming up here on "world news" this sunday, why one priest's fight against gun violence has become so controversial. he says he has buried too many children, including his own foster son. >>> it is a huge problem in illegal cell phones. prisoners are not just using them to call home. we're going to take "a closer look" at that. >>> and we are going to spend some time with venn nonone, the team that tackles florida's explosion of enormous powerful snakes. they are traveling through neighborhoods, eating people's pets.3 once you've mastered the complexities of a headache... the rest of the body is a no brainer. doesn't your whole body deserve xcedrin strength relief?, excedrin back & body. excedrin. what ache? body wash from olay. tone e

move into her parents' home and take care of her 13 younger brothers and sisters. 26-year-old ashley markham says it was her mother's wish if something happened to her. the billings had adopted 13 children with autism, downs syndrome and other developmental disabilities. they were murdered during a home robbery earlier this month. eight suspects have been arrested. >>> memorial plans are coming together for legendary newsman walter cronkite. a private funeral is planned for thursday at the manhattan church that cronkite attended for years, and the public memorial service is being planned at new york's lincoln center within the next month. the former anchor of cbs evening news died friday night, and since then friends and colleagues have been sharing some of their favorite memories. dan rather says cronkite invented television news. >> i've said it before, and i don't think it can be said too many times. walter cronkite was not just playing a reporter on tv. he was a reporter. >> walter cronkite was 92 years old when he passed. he will be cremated and buried next to his wife in kansas city. >

the couple's grown daughter, 26-year-old ashley markham, says she and her husband will move into her parents' home and raise the children saying that was her mother's wish. >>> the nation's unemployment stands at 9.5%, the worst in years, but many states from one end of the country to the other are struggling with a jobless rate of well over 10% and getting worse. among them, oregon. nbc's miguel almaguer reports. >> reporter: an average morning for this family in an anything but ordinary time no, talk of the mortgage, no discussion of bailey's mounting college tuition, no mention of kelly's continuing unemployment. in just four months this high-tech consultant has gone from power meeting to regular appointments with a career counselor. she's among the 12,000 who rely on these oregon job centers to look for work every month. >> i am very similar to hundreds and hundreds of people that were living our lifestyle and you never saw those people out of work. >> reporter: not far from portland's picturesque waterfront and its quaint downtown, a different view. this one of its crumbling eco

victim melanie billings' daughter ashley markham says those adopted children, including several with disabilities, are all safe and are being cared for away from the spotlight. >> the children are coping very well. we've kept them busy. they are with lots of family and friends that they truly adore. >> reporter: markham says she does not know any of the men arrested so far. the sheriff said the home invasion attack was like something out of the movie it has left people here very concerned about the well-being of those children. brian? >> such a sad story in florida tonight. mark potter, our thanks for that. >>> when we continue tonight on our broadcast with limited commercial interruption,nother sign of our times. how so much gunfire in one of america's biggest and best cities left one hospital e.r. in a desperate situation. >>> and ter, in a tight job market, what's growing these days? >>> in chicago this weekend, a 12-year-old boy was critically wounded when shot from a passing car. another victim of what's turning into another violent summer. there have been so many shootings and

. >>> ashley markham is melanie billings' daughter. he's joined by her attorney crystal spencer sitting alongside her. good morning to both of you. ashley, when anyone hears about this story, they're so sorry for your loss. how would you describe these children who are now under your care are holding up? >> the children are doing well. they're with family. lots of friends. we have lots of support right now. they're doing as well as can be expected. >> you just heard sheriff david morgan talk about your parents' value -- immense value to your community. they sound like they were just wonderful people. what do you want to say about them? what do you want the world to know about them this morning? >> they were wonderful people. they are wonderful people. they had so much love in their hearts. this was something that they chose to do together as to adopting the children. their children were special to them. their children were perfect to them. they had more love than anybody could ever imagine giving one person much less 17. we're so in sho

joining us from pensacola, florida, is ashley markham, the daughter of melanie billings, and her attorneyng. >> ashley, how are you and your 16 siblings holding up? >> everydydi is hol ngp uwell. the best you can be expecte we're trying to take one day at a time and get through this week and get our lives back to as normal as possible for the children. >> what have you told them about what happened? >> we have not sat down and spoke to each child as they ask. they have been talked to. several very close family members. we're just trying to keep them happy right now with everything that is going on. we're trying to keep them sheltered as much as possible until we can get them all sat down and explain to them in debate what detail christmwhat is going on. >> we watched you yesterday at the press conference with the sheriff. and you got so emotional when he talked about trying to catch the people responsible for the deaths of your parents. can you tell me what was going through your mind at that point? >> sheriff morgan has been wonderful. everybody there has been wonderful. and he did, he m

. >> reporter: 26-year-old ashley markham, the daughter that heads the billings family, was by the sheriff's side when he made the announcement she was waiting to hear. >> it is my honor today, to tell you, ashley, and the family, that we have found them. and they are in custody. >> reporter: police have set their sights on yet another man they believe is connected to the killings but was not at the scene of the crime. they tell us they have caught all of the killers. >> that's good to hear, steve. >>> and joining us now, the billings' daughter, ashley markham. and with her, crystal spencer, the attorney for the billings family. thank you for joining us so much this morning. ashley, know our sincere condolences, and that of the nation. we've been thinking about you and your family. and how are you doing? how is the family doing, ashley? >> well, tlauhank you, for your condolen condolences. we're holding up the best we know how. trying to plan two funerals while taking care of the children. and making sure their lives aren't disturb, has been very overwelling. we have lots of family. lots of

needs children says she plans to move into herarents' home to raise the children. 26-year-old ashley markham and her husband plan to raise the children as their own. byrd and melanie billings were shot to death earlier this month during a break-in. police have arrested eight people in connection with the case. >> a lot of support for that family. e ghtning streake the ky in oephx x ea. swig kions ndeckpe u quite a dust storm there with sand swirling across the city. that's not the scene there. but when it rains out there, it's bad because there is no place for the water to go. >> and it's 107 and sunshine in phoenix right now. we need the rain. we've only had .25 of an inch of rain in the last 20 days. humidity levels are creeping up and not far south and west we're finaleeing a little rain op. th erang aend red assueol corss showvi h eaer downpours over sections of calvert county, st. mary's county, starting to move to the north. the immediate metro area,no rain right now. but off to the west, more showers from woodstock to strasburg. notice these are drafting to the northwest, away from ou

we met ashley markham at the home of the family's lawyer. less than two weeks since her parents were murdered. at age 26, ashley is suddenly the oldest member of a very large and complex family. >> it's been very overwhelming, everything. i don't think i've had my personal time. there's a lot more to worry about right now than stopping and grieving. >> reporter: you haven't had a chance yet? >> i really haven't. i've, you know, told everybody around me, if i stay busy, if i keep going. i have to keep going for the children. >> reporter: and there are a lot of them. bud and melanie billings had a staggering 17 children. all but four adopted. the nine still living at home, all severely disabled with down syndrome, autism, and fetal alcohol syndrome. what motivates parents? what motivates a couple to adopt so many children, with such challenging needs? >> i believe their motivation came from giving these children a better life. they found these children to be perfect, whereas other parents seeking to adopt children, may not have sought these ch

ashley markham, the biological daughter of mel any bill go ahead says she wants to seeious i can't toe people capable of this type of violence and people with this magnitude of hate in their lives is sickening. >> reporter: police first arrested wayne coldiron after he turned himself in. investigators took two more suspected into custody. leonard p. gonzalez, jr. and sr. they face murder and home up vision charges. the father was charged with evidence tampering. police say he panted over this damaged red van seen leaving the home after the murders. the billings opened their home specifically to children with down syndrome being autism and other developmental disabilities. >> they had a calling to adopt and love children that others did not see as normal. to our mom and dad, their children were perfect. angels that god provided them with to love eternally. >> the children were home when the murders happened but investigators say none were harmed. >> they know what is going on but trying just to keep a positive outlook on the situation and that their lives aren't going to be changed. >>

ashley markham, the 26-year-old daughter of melanie billings, plans to raise the 13 special needs children. eight people have been arrested and charged. byrd and melanie billings were laid to rest on friday. >>> for the first time since the arrest of four employees in an alleged burial plot scam, an attorney for the embattled burr oak cemetery outside chicago is firing back at the sheriff's department saying conditions described by investigators have been grossly overstated. but the attorney does concede the cemetery's owners did not have full-time oversight of the graveyard. >> apparently it happens when you hire what you think are good people and you leave them to do their jobs and they find schemes of taking money where they shouldn't. there was not a situation where bones simply littered the cemetery. we have people in and out of the cemetery every day. >> a spokesman for the cook county sheriff scoffs at the discussions by the toattorney. workers allegedly drug up hundreds of plots and resold them dumping the bodies in gs graves. the alleged scheme is thought to have pocketed more tha

associated press is reporting ashley markham, the 26-year-old daughter of melanie billings, plans to raise the 13 special needs children the murdered couple had cared for. eight people have been arrested and charged. byrd and melanie billings were laid to rest on friday. >>> for the first time since the arrest of four employees in an alleged burial plot scam, an attorney for the embattled burr oak cemetery outside chicago is firing back at the sheriff's department saying conditions described by investigators have been grossly overstated. but the attorney does concede the cemetery's owners did not have full-time oversight of the graveyard. >> apparently it happens when you hire what you think are good people and you leave them to do their jobs and they find schemes of taking money where they shouldn't. there was not a situation where bones simply littered the cemetery. we have people in and out of the cemetery every day. >> a spokesman for the cook county sheriff scoffs at the suggestions by the attorney. cemetery workers allegedly dug up hundreds of plots and resold them, dumping the

newscast with his signoff: and that's the way it is. >> he died at the age of 92. >>> 26-year-old ashley markhamls a pensacola news journal that she and her husband will move into their parents' home and raise the special needs kids as their own. byrd and melanie billings were killed july 9. >>> a new study says that women exposed to pollution pregnant with children were exposed to lower iq scores than women who were not. one environmental specialist points out, though, that more research is needed. >>> five minutes after the hour. cooler temperatures prevail again, but of course we have stormy weather and we have hot temperatures. chris has to go, okay, which one am i going to choose to start with. he's in for bob. >> good morning. we're going to start with the showers and thunderstorms around me. you see the stationary front? that's triggering all the showers and thunderstorms we're seeing. let's see if they're impacting you. as we go into west virginia and back into virginia, we're seeing showers and thunderstorms this morning. you should be okay today for the most part. tomorrow, though, you

and ashley markham says i've told my brothers and sisters that's exactly what i am to you, i am your have one mother and father. susan candiotti, cnn, pensacola, florida. >> heartbreaking to hear that and that picture that susan painted of the balloons going up. i love you mommy, i love you daddy. such tragedy here. we'll take your calls on this 1-877-tell-hln. joining me now to talk about, welcome back all platform journalist john cowells, don clark former fbi special agent in charge. john, some of the new things we're finding out today. where we began with susan and the possible contract hit. what's the sheriff saying about that? where are we getting that? >> well, we're getting the fact that there's been that speculation from different law enforcement agencies and it's been a lot of the talk with among town. we've been out talking to, he was in the car industry and the carrie say industry and also finance. it's a pretty small community. so a lot of conversation as we've branched out throughout the community and talked to people and people have said that they've wondered about it.

ashley markham and her husband will raise the children as their own.elanie billings. >>> this morning's "new york times" reports there's a deal to keep cit group out of bankruptcy. the report says the commercial lender will borrow $3 billion from major bond holders. that will allow the company to restructure its billions of dollars of debt after the government rejected a bailout. hundreds of thousands of companies keep their businesses running by borrowing from cit. >>> it's now 8:02 on this monday morning. let's go back outside to dave price for another check of the weather. >> nice to see you. a very quick but a warm hello to our friends from the royal australian navy visiting new york city. no nicer people will you find around the globe, good friends as well. we say hello to everyone watching in australia and who is here visiting. thank you for coming. >>> let's take a look at the weather and see what's happening all across the country. humidity is returning to the eastern seaboard. looks like we're going to see the moisture come in primarily to the

. >> reporter: as the final arrests were announced, ashley markham, the oldest daughter of byrd and melanie left without speaking out. >>> a novel that aims to set the record straight about men and marriage. john enson and mark sanford are the exception not the rule. >>> a plane and car that collided, it could have ended tragically. awe'll come to you in one of our immediate response vehicles! what if mother won't let me drive? then you probably wouldn't have had an accident in the first place. and we're walkin'! and we're walkin'... making it all a bit easier -- now that's progressive! call or click today. and you know what, it works. nutrisystem for men: flexible new programs personalized to meet your goals. what's great about nutrisystem is you eat the foods you love and you lose weight. i'm dan marino. i lost 22 pounds on nutrisystem and i've kept it off for three years. for a limited time, get an extra three weeks of meals free! that's right, you can get an extra 21 breakfasts, lunches, dinners, desserts, and snacks. that's 105 meals free! i had awesome results. i mean, i lost 22 pound

and ashley markham says, i've told my brothers and sisters that's exactly what i am to you. i am your sister. you'll always only have one mother and father. susan candiotti, cnn, pensacola, florida. >>> a harvard professor, one of this country's top black scholars, arrested, after someone catches him trying to get into his own house. quite a case and quite a controversy in cambridge. some new developments, just in, in the last few hours. >>> president obama wants congress to pass health care reform, and fast. and if you didn't get the message, don't worry, because he'll keep repeating it. you may have heard him live just minutes ago at the white house in the rose garden. >> so, i understand that some will try to delay action until the special interests can kill it, while others will score political points. we've done that before. and we can choose to follow that playbook again and we'll never get over the goal line and we'll face an even greater crisis in the years to come. that's one path we can travel. or, we can come together and insist that this time will be different. w

couple will care for the nine special needs children that the couple had adopted. 26-year-old ashley markhamnd plan to move into her parents' home and raise the children as their own. it was her mother's wish for her to become their guardian. she says locks have been changed and a new security system is going up at the house. her parents, byrd and melanie billings, were murdered in their home earlier this month. eight people have been arrested in connection of the crime. it might be hard to be in that house, i would imagine. brian: they were surrounded by flames, three men are recovering this morning after their ship caught fire right off the coast of new jersey. authorities are investigating what caused the engine of the captain oj rigs to burst into flames. the crew members used a life boat to flee the burning vessel and were pulled to safety by a nearby ship. the ship still broke apart and sank. steve: we were telling you about this story out of washington state. there's this guy, ronnie. ronnie runs a car wash, and it's a car wash rather than have a machine wash the cars you have beautif

their oldest daughter though, ashley markham, is taking responsibility for her siblings, and she hadhorities. >> last thursday after this tragedy, we asked melanie and her husband, members of her family, to come to the escambia county sheriff's department. i'm sure, ashley, you may recall standing in the lobby, while you feel very helpless at that moment, i asked you if there was anything i could do for you, and your response back to me was, sheriff, find the people who did this. it is my honor today to tell you, ashley, and your family we have found them and they are in custody. >> very emotional for her obviously. police say the billings were ak bushed when two groups of men burst into their home killing them execution-style. they have seven people in custody that police say are responsible. >>> we have learned first lady michelle obama's father, frazier robinson iii is buried at illinois's burr oak cemetery. there's a reason that name sounds familiar to you, the name of that sem tcemetery. there is no indication his grave is among those disturbed. four former workers of that cemet

ashley markham saying she and her husband will move into her parents' home and raise the children. she says, you know, that was her mother's wish. byrd and melanie billings were killed on july 9th. >>> a private funeral for walter cronkite will be head thursday at st. bartholomew's church in new york. cronkite will be buried next to his late wife in kansas city, missouri. the journalist often referred to as the most trusted man in america died on friday. a separate memorial for cronkite will be held in the next few weeks at the lincoln center. >>> frank mccourt has died of cancer. he was 78. he was best known for "angela's ashes" which became an international best-seller. it was a memoir of his childhood in ireland. he taught english in new york city high schools for 30 years before launching his literary career. what a second career it was. >>> hanging out in your man cave to watch tv, take a nap. you think that's a good way to relax. well, two guys are accused of doing much more than that, and their cave wasn't even at their house. >>> well, today marks the 40th anniversary of th