brandi hitt, abc, las vegas. >>> runners who couldn't finish the boston marathon will be offered the chance to run again next year. athletes who had passed the halfway mark but not all the way to the finish line will be able to sign up in august for next year's marathon. more than 5,000 runners weretoed on the course when the race had to be shut down after those explosions. >>> speaking of running the second leg of horse racing, triple crown, the preakness is run tomorrow in baltimore. nine horses on the field including kentucky derby winner orb as the last night's playoff action, here's espn. >>> a good friday morning to you. i'm matt barrie with your "sportscenter" update. closeout night in the nba thursday night. the golden state warriors looking to survive. steph curry hoping his team can stay in the series to force a game seven. curry drives in, gets it to david lee. foul. the warriors down four. five minutes to go, curry hits the jumper. 22 points for curry. four minutes to go, change score, the spurs' manu ginobili finds tony parker in the corner much up five. 1:40 left and cu

brandi hitt, abc news, los angeles. >> and you will hear more from amanda knox when she sits down for her first live interview later on "good morning america." >>> all right, time now to check the weather across the nation, it's not going to look at all like may 1st for denver. almost minneapolis, snow will slam the entire area with 5 or rather 3 to 5 inches in some spots, also lots of wet weather along the gulf coast and through much of the midsection. >> take a look at those readings on the east and west coast. that's more like it, snow zone, though, 30 degrees below normal. >>> coming up, the new warning about ground beef. >> and a big move for the morning after pill stirring up new debate this morning. >>> it looks simple but it took cutting-edge technology to create this little guy. what makes this movie so amazing. coming up in "the pulse." >>> the housing market on a wild upswing right now being driven by a dwindling supply of home. and home prices have soared up 9.3% since february. that is the fastest monthly increase we've seen in seven years. now, among the hottest markets

here's brandi hitt. >> reporter: amanda knox released her memoir "waiting to be heard." in an exclusive interview with diane sawyer knox said she wants to clear her name. >> did you kill meredith kercher? >> no. >> were you there that night? >> no. >> do you know anything you have not told police that you have not said in this book, do you know anything? >> no. >> reporter: knox was an american college student studying abroad when she was arrested and tried for the 2007 murder of her roommate, british student meredith kercher. >> what happened to me hit me like a train, and there was nothing i could do to stop it. >> reporter: knox and her then boyfriend were both convicted in italy's highest criminal court. after serving four years of a 26-year sentence in a tiny room with only a small window, her conviction was overturned. >> did you think about suicide? >> i did. >> reporter: in her book knox wrote about her panic attacks, losing her hair and finding out the results of a blood sample she had given. >> and the doctor told me that i had tested positive for hiv. i was st

abc's brandi hitt is covering the hearing in las vegas. >> reporter: with a shrug of the shoulders o.jaight to the witness stand to give the performance of his life, testifying for his freedom. >> not in my wildest dreams that these guys -- >> reporter: the former football great hopes the judge decides he deserves a new trial. on the basis his former lead attorney yale galanter mishandled the case on many levels. >> did you trust mr. galanter? >> yes. >> reporter: simpson testified the night before the las vegas heist, galanter advised him he had a legal right to confront two member selling sports memorabilia he maintains was stolen from him. >> i didn't break into anybody's room. i didn't beat up anybody. the guys acknowledged it was my stuff. >> reporter: during the trial he also claims galanter never told him about plea offers that were made from the prosecution. >> did you ever hear about a two to five? >> no. >> did you ever hear about a 30-month to 5? >> no. >> reporter: he spent the last four years behind bars with one wrist handcuffed to the stand, the 65-year-old had difficult

brandi hitt, abc news.> 12-year-old northern california boy accused of killing his sister appears in juvenile court today. the boy told authorities that an intruder was responsible for the stabbing death of leila fowler. his attorneys concede he may have lied about the intruder but that does not make him a killer. and we are hearing the 911 tape from their mother placed on the day leila died. >> my children are home alone and a man just ran out of our house. my older son was in the bathroom. my daughter started screaming. there was a man in front of my house. the man is gone though? >> they say he ran out. i'm trying to. >> how old are your kids? >> 12 and 9. >> the father says his family is standing behind their son until the evidence proves otherwise. >>> following angelina jolie's double mastectomy, announcement, doctors cautioning women jolie's choice is not for everyone trying to avoid breast cancer. nonetheless her decision to have the procedure is lauded as heroic. abc's paula faris has more. >> repo

brandi hitt, abcnews, los angeles. >> i can deal with a fakebag.phone, but pills? that can be lethal. >> is you don't know what you're swallowing. exactly right, no. they are expensive, but no. >> if you end up with something and you didn't know, that's one thing, but to go seek out a fake pill that like you just heard, possibly doesn't have an active ingredient, what's the point? >> you'd be lucky it doesn't have an active ingredient, just not getting the medicine you want, but if you get something that could actually make you sick, that's crazy. you get what you pay for, right? >> true. >>> coming up, the celebrity parents of jaden smith respond to his eye-opening comments. >> coming up next in "the skinny." ♪ skinny so skinny ♪ >>> time for "the sinny." we're going to start off by debunking a couple of rumors we heard yesterday. the first one is that jaden smith wants to be emancipated from his parents. >> that sounded very fishy. >> you said it before. the super uber wealthy will and jada pinkett smith. would you want to be emancipa emancipated

abc's brandi hitt has more. good morning, brandi. >> reporter: good morning, john, linzie.. one of the victims trapped inside the burning limousine is describing the frightening moments where she was able to escape but not able to save her friends. >> stop the car. stop the car. >> reporter: one of the survivors of this tragic ing limousine fire is opening up about the horrific ordeal. >> i wish i could pull all of them. >> reporter: inside nine women were heading to a bridal celebration. as they crossed san mateo bridge near san francisco, investigate investigators say they started smelling smoke in the back of the limo. >> flames started bursting. just everywhere. everybody came through the partition. >> reporter: four women managed to escape, but the bride seen in this facebook photo was killed along with four of her friends. they were trapped inside the inferno. >> they were up against the partition. you could also say that they were trying to get out. >> reporter: this is a newer version of the same lincoln town car limousine that has two doors in the back where the fi

for "good morning america," brandi hitt, abc news, los angeles. >> nice she could bond with both herng up here on the broadcast the story ron and i have been looking forward to all morning. is this a revolution in high fashion. who gave pinup girl kate upton the "vogue" seal of approval. keep it here on abc news. ♪ love your pandora bracelet. he went to jared. the ballet slippers? i used to dance. hearts? it's called the red hot love bead... oh. ...i've said too much. [ female announcer ] this mother's day, find the pandora celebration bouquet charm, exclusively at jared. find the pandora celebration bouquet charm, i found our colors. we've made a decision. great, let's go get you set up... you need brushes... you should check out our workshops... push your color boundaries while staying well within your budget walls. i want to paint something else. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. behr premium plus interior paint, only at the home depot and starting at $23.46 a gallon. ♪ time now for "pop news" and host of "on the red carpet" rachel smith. we prefer when

abc's brandi hitt is in las vegas with this story turning into quite a scandal, brandi. >> reporter: definitely, bianna, good morning, o.j. simpson is now heading back into the prison system as he waits for the judge's decision. his hearing here came to a dramatic end. it was high drama in court pitting o.j. simpson against his former lead attorney yale galanter. >> mr. simpson never told me that he was going to go into the palace station with a bunch of thugs. >> reporter: simpson claims the night before 2007 botched robbery galanter advised him he had a legal right to confront two men selling sports memorabilia simpson claims was stolen. >> i followed what i thought the law. >> nobody wanted to win the case more than i wanted to win it. >> reporter: the former football great maintains he never knew his entourage was armed. >> i wouldn't imagine in my wildest dreams these guys would have guns. >> reporter: galanter delivered this bombshell that o.j. confessed to him in private before his conviction. >> he had told me that he did, in fact, ask alexander and mcclinton to bring guns. >

brandi hitt, abc news. >> reports she will try to move back in with her mom.down by the other camp. >> katherine jackson's lawyer said she has not packed her bags, home, she is fine. a girl who is a teenager needs a mom, a dad. right now, neither. >> whatever comfort is a good thing. >> absolutely. good for her. >>> coming up, the secret behind jennifer aniston's hair do. high time her hairdresser reveals it. >>> a change in the late night talk show business. that's coming up next in "the skinny." >> "world news now" continues after this from our abc stat ♪ skinny so skinny >> welcome to "the skinny," everyone. we begin with something we have been talking about throughout the morning and hear a lot more about throughout the day on "the view" ms. barbara walters announced she will be retiring in the summer of 2014. still have her a little more than a year. she made her announcement after 37 years just here at abc news, but more than 50 years in broadcast news, news, she, she is going to retire. you know what? she has given a whole lot to the, you know, industry

brandi hitt, abc news, las vegas. >> the investigation into last month's deadly explosion at a texasinvestigators have narrowed the possible number of causes to three. electrical problem at the plant, golf cart battery that may have ignited flammable materials or criminal act. the april 17th blast killed 15 people, injured 200 others. virtually leveled the small town of west. >> we are hearing from the mother of that child in philadelphia whose stroller accident has been seen around the world. this happened wednesday at one of philly's elevated subway stations. the stroller rolling on to the tracks. carrying a 14-month-old girl, she suffered minor bumps and bruises. her mom is ecstatic her daughter wasn't seriously hurt. >> she is doing a lot better. a lot better than it actually looks. so, yeah, i am extremely happy. and very much blessed. >> how cute is that little girl? she said it happened in a split second. the stroller rolled away when she turned around to look at the clock. the stroller moved. the platform is slanted towards the track to allow the rain water to drain off. i go

. >> brandi hitt, thank you for that report. much more coming up on "gma." >>> breaking news overnight from bangladesh. there's been a new and deadly fire in a garment factory. eight people died when an 11-story building containing a factory and apartments caught fire overnight. a factory director and police official were among the dead. also overnight crews discovered even more bodies in that building that housed five factories before it collapsed. now more than 900 people have died in what is the worst tragedy in history of the global garment manufacturing industry. >>> well, an emotional hearing about what happened last september on an attack in benghazi, libya. three foreign service officers told congress yesterday that not enough was done to protect their colleagues. the attacks in benghazi killed ambassador chris stevens and three other americans. chris stevens said he wanted to send a special team of forces and was furious when ordered to stand down. >>> the push for immigration reform is getting major backing from dozens

abc's brandi hitt has details from las vegas. good morning. >> reporter: good morning.night really belonged to taylor swift. she took ohome eight billboard music awards including top artist. the artists topping the charts took the stage at the billboard music award. ♪ i don't care >> reporter: the first award of the night top rap artist going to nicki minaj. >> i definitely did not expect this one. >> reporter: tracy morgan helped carry the night. >> i can't believe they're letting me host the show. >> reporter: and shared a few moves with psy. top digital song to carly ray jepsem's 7 million download. madonna took home top touring artist award. >> a show girl need her fans. >> reporter: prince was recognized for billboard icon award. his performance also stole the show. ♪ >> reporter: fans revealed the winner of the top billboard 200 album going to taylor swift. >> this is magical. i love you. thank you so much. >> reporter: the top male artist went to justin bieber. and after another round of hot performances came the big award for top artist of the year. >> taylor sw

brandi hitt is covering the story. >> reporter: with gray hair and bloodshot eyes, simpson walked intoer football great is expected to testify in his bid to convince the judge he deserves a new trial for his 2008 armed robbery and kidnapping conviction involving sports memorabilia. >> i think he does want to be heard. that's why we're bringing these claims forward. >> reporter: simpson claims his former lead attorney galanter mishandled his case. he says he gave them the green light to confront the two men selling simpson items he maintains they were stolen. >> that was never part of the trial. >> reporter: the heist was also caught on tape. simpson's co--counsel at the time claims he kept them in the dark. >> was he aware that he would carry before the plan. >> not at all. >> reporter: and never informed him of a plea bargain in the works. >> the offer was being discussed. >> if he had known of an offer, two to five, he would have taken it. if he understood the chances. >> reporter: now after spending four years behind bars of a sentence that could last 33, the man who never took the

abc's brandi hitt has the latest. entencing phase begins this morning where the jury will decide whether jodi arias deserves to be executed. arias is now a convicted killer, and she refused to remain silent. >> we, the jury, find the defendant, as to count 1, first degree murder, guilty. >> reporter: as jodi arias teared up at the verdict, loud gasps came from the family of travis alexander, the ex-boyfriend arias is now convicted of killing. their tears of relief were echoed by the cheering crowd outside the arizona courthouse. >> she couldn't kill the american justice system. >> reporter: after the verdict, arias gave this exclusive interview to ksav from jail and has been placed on suicide watch. >> the worst outcome for me would be natural life. i would much rather die sooner than later. longevity runs in my family, and i don't want to spend the rest of my natural life in one place. >> reporter: 38 witnesses testified during the four-month trial, including arias, who spent an unbelievable 18 days on the stand. >> i

abc's brandi hitt from the ballroom. good morning, brandi. >> reporter: good morning, john, diana.stars to beat early on. after another fantastic performance she is taking home the coveted mirror ball trophy. >> kellie and derek! >> reporter: kellie pickler won season 16 of "dancing with the stars." after ten weeks of dancing, 12 stars were narrowed down to the final four who put it all out on the dance floor in hopes of taking home the mirror ball trophy. after monday's competition, zendaya led the pack, and country singer kellie pickler. second. followed by aly and jacobi jones. and the finale featured star-studded performances by pit bull and psy. then the final three were given an instant dance to rehearse in minutes. ♪ they continued to wow the crowd with their moves. >> look at the reaction from the audience. you are awesome, i am telling you! >> reporter: and the scores were added to their totals for monday night. >> you made every single dance special. >> reporter: then came next elimination. >> jacoby and karina. ♪ >> reporter: with anticipation building to the big reveal.

abc's brandi hitt joins us. mpson, a highly experienced gold medal sailor. when the boat capsized he was trapped underwater. this is what is left of the "artemis" racing boat. after a deadly accident in the san francisco bay. the swedish yacht and 12 man crew were practicing for the upcoming america's cup when it capsized killing 36-year-old crew member andrew bart simpson. the two-time british olympic medalist took home the gold in the 2008 beijing olympic games. >> we obviously had a tragic day today on the bay. >> reporter: artemis, ceo, did not reveal why the 72 foot catamaran tipped over thursday afternoon. the racing crew used to competing in strong winds and high speeds jumped to safety. but somehow, simpson became trapped under water for 10 minutes. coast guard crews and a helicopter unit helped rescue the sailors. when they reached simpson it was too late. they could not revive him. >> shocking experience to, to go through. and we have a lot to deal with in the next few days in terms of assuring everybod

abc's brandi hitt joining us with the latest. brandi. >> good morning, john, reena. acre after acre. >> reporter: one after another. several wildfires sparked throughout california, thanks to extreme heat, strong winds and bone dry conditions. hundreds of homes and several schools were evacuated, where powerful gusts have pushed the fast-moving wildfire across more than 8,000 acres. burning at least one home. flames lapping over the hill. and they die down then they come back up. >> reporter: wildlife is also on the run with herds of cattle rushing to flee the flames. it is only may. already cal fire is seeing a 60% increase in wildfires compared to a normal year. >> it is not going to be confined to southern california it will be the southwest intermountain west. areas that are own going to be getting dryer as we move forward. >> reporter: in riverside county, investigators believe a tossed cigarette sparked this fire that burned several homes. >> you got to carry on. >> reporter: this is what's left of joe keener's home, destroyed by the raging banning fire. he is