today, the gunman who killed witness carl lackle is sentenced. how long he'll spend behind bars. >>> spriding the word. president obama brings -- spreading the word. president obama brings his healthcare plan to the people of ohio. but are they buying what he's selling? >>> legendary guitar maker paul reed smith talks to me about the man whose name >>> it's 5:28. and thank you for staying with eyewitness news. here are some of the stories people are talking about tonight. it was a landmark case of witness intimidation. carl lackle is murdered in front of his home before he gets a chance to testify. weijia jiang has more. >> this essentially closes the carl lackle murder case. they said in time, they probably could forgive him. but right now, they can't imagine it. >> carl lackle's mother speaks moments after hearing the sentence for jonathan cornish, the teenager convicted of pulling the trigger. >> i hope in time i can forgive him. and i hope he does do good. and maybe makes something of himself and learns things and gets an education. >> report

and we did hear from the trigger man, the teenager who was just 15 when he killed carl lackle, the teen who will spend most of his life behind bars. >> reporter: carl lackle's mother, margaret shipley, speaks to wjz just moments after hearing the sentence for jonathan cornish, the teenager accused -- convicted of pulling the trigger. this is considered one of the most brash cases of witness intimidation ever seen. >> i hope in time i can forgive him. and i hope he does do good. and maybe makes something of himself and learns and even gets an education. >> reporter: a federal judge sentenced now 18-year-old cornish to prison in exchange for a plea agreement. in exchange, prosecutors will receive testimony for seven others in the case. all of whom have been convicted. >> he will never get to walk around the corner. he'll never live a life. he'll just exist. and maybe that's what he deserves. but it's still tragic. >> the most notorious of the eight convicted, patrick byers, who is spending life in prison without parole. bee -- byers was convicted of orchestrating the murder from a jail ce

and the type of violence that ended carl lackl's life. in baltimore, brian kuebler, abc 2 news. >> senator mikulski says you can look forward to her being an advocate on the bill when the senate comes back after the labor day break. >>> a man has been arrested in the robbery of a woman at anne arundel mills mall. 24-year-old joshua stone is charged with robbing the woman in the parking lot at knifepoint sunday morning. stone allegedly took her purse and drove off in a pickup truck. he was arrested at a linthicum motel. >>> a 41-year-old west baltimore man remains in critical condition after trying to swallow a plastic bag filled with heroin. police say deon snipes swallowed the bag which held 17 gel caps of heroin when officers tried to stop him on monday night. >>> an east baltimore man remains behind bars tonight, even though he no longer faces charges in connection with the police-involved shooting, a shooting that cost his uncle his life. abc 2 news jeff hager spoke with jay forest's family today about the incident which cost one man

the murder case of carl lackl comes full circle. the fate of the shooter, 40 years in prison. >> he will never live a life, he will just exist, and maybe that's what he deserves. but it's still tragic. >> my message, he meant well, he took a life, but he showed his remorse. >> reporter: indeed, cornish told the lackl family he truly apologizes for taking the life of the approximately-year-old father. >> he looked at me straight in the fair, he lacked at that time picture of my son, and it made me feel better. >> reporter: the judge called the killing blatant. he said he could have spent life behind bars if he had had not been cooperative. namely, patrick byers. he orchestrated it all via cell phone from his prison cell, playing bloods gang members $230990 for the hit v. that, cornish got $$100. even though she says her entire family disagrees with her, lackl's sister says she feels compassion for cornish. >> because my brother was a very compassionate person, and i know carl would have forgave him. >> reporter: while the landmark ca

death may not be in vane. >> on sunday my son was there and then he was gone. >> two years since carl lackl was murdered, before his -- to his mother it was like yesterday. >> nothing. wish i could say things to him, wish i could have said goodbye. i was cheating out on of all of that. >> lackl a single dad was supposed to testify against patrick byers in a murder trial when gunned down outside of his rosedale home days before the trial began. prosecutors say buyers was behind it all, using a cell phone from inside the prison to arrange the killing. >> never gave my son any kind of inkling that someone would have him killed. >> case surprised lawmakers, including senator barbara mikulski. >> senator was absolutely appalled when i read local news accounts that convicted felons violent criminals were sitting in prison, with contraband cell phones, eating caf yarr and making a mockery of our system. >> so appalled she teamed up with a senator from texas to co-sponsor a bill to jam signals in all jails and prisons. senate committee passed the bill yesterday making it one step closer to becoming

. >> the teenage triggerman responsible for the death of federal witness carl lackl is now headed to prison. he pleaded guilty of putting him down in july of 2007. cornish was just 50 years old when he was paid to murder him. today he apologized to lackl's family. next that young man looked me straight in the face, and it made me feel better. it made me feel like he was really listening to what i was saying, so i hope he does well. >> i was praying for the family. their son died so young. i wish the family the best. >> the judds' wants cornish to get a ged and vocational training and participate in a drug and alcohol program while in prison. next of mechanic police have charged three people and torturing and killing a cat. we want to warn you the details of the story may be a little graphic. melissa carlson has this animal abuse investigation. >> 18-year-old scott mcdowell did not want to talk today, but police say it is because of him they found out about a brutal case of animal abuse. baltimore county police said they received a call from a man who said he was on vacation when he r

. >> and the trigger man in the carl lackl murder case will spend 40 years behind bars. 18-year-old jonathan cordish learned his fate today. member of the bloods gang, he was 15 when he shot lackl out of his home in 2007. lackl has been set to testify against patrick byers in a murder case, when buyers ordered the hit from jail. cordish is the last of eight defendants convicted in the death. >> olympic champion michael phelps involved in a crash in downtown baltimore. and tonight police released a report and say it is not his fault. the driver of the other car will be cited for failure to obey a red slight and causing an accident. $180 fine, with three points on her license. michael phelps was also cited, police say he was driving his cadillac escalade on an expired michigan license. >> he will be going to court and talk to the judge and explain why he was driving around without the license. you know, i do know he was traveling with the olympics and everything and all the training he does. but that's an issue for the court system. >> accident occurred at north calvert and east bittle. no one

jonathan cornish was 15 years old when he shot and killed carl lackl in 2007. patrick byers, who is serving a life sentence ordered the hit from a cell phone in prison. lackl was set to testify against byers in a murder trial. >> i hope in time i can forgive him, and i hope he does do good. and maybe makes something of himself and learns and getting an education, and maybe, you know, some good will come out of it somehow. >> i'm sorry that jonathan did this. i'm so sorry, and i know that jonathan is too. but this about how baltimore really is. the crime, the drugs, these kids. this has to stop. >> cornish apologized to the lackl family today before his sentencing this afternoon. >>> a crash involving olympic gold medalist michael phelps was not his fault, according to baltimore city police. police say the other driver ran a red light. the crash happened at the intersection of biddle and calvert streets near downtown. police say the female driver was heading north when she went through the red light and slammed into phelps' suv. she was taken to the hospital aft

the senator cowrote the bill after the high profile murder of carl lackl, whose killing was ordered from a cell phone in prison in baltimore. her bill has made it through committee and believes it will pass the full senate. >> i believe that it will pass. i think maryland has brought this to the attention of others and senator kay bailey. but it's coming back all over the country. >> mikulski says you can look forward to her fighting for this bill on capitol hill this fall. >>> and boy, it was a busy day for the senator, considering she just got out of the hospital today after ankle surgery. she had ankle surgery at mercy medical center. mikulski says she fell on steps after leaving an afternoon mass at the basilica of the assumption in baltimore last month. the fall caused her ankle to break in three places. her surgeons predict the senator will make a full recovery. >>> a company bidding for a slot machine license in baltimore city is closer to getting that slots parlor. the baltimore city entertainment group applied to the state in february for a casino with 500 machines. the company

. >>> the parents of murder witness with it carl lackl, trying to advocate for cell phone jamming inns. law enforcement officials say it could reduce the amount of crime organized from behind bars. lackl was going to be a witness in a maryland murder trial against former drug dealer patrick byers. he's in jail on drug charges, and it's believed he ordered the hit on a cell phone. >>> a robbery suspect who held an elderly man hostage in northeast baltimore is still on the loose this morning. police say two men robbed a bel air road gas station around 9:30 yesterday morning. they pistol-whipped an employee before running into a home on mary avenue. a 94-year-old man was in the home, police surrounded it and sealed off the neighborhood. >> we knew we had an armed suspect on the inside and bringing that hostage out safely was the main priority. >> the police directed me to come here and i got gas. just stayed all day to watch what was going on. >> what did you see? >> all s.w.a.t. teams, the police activity here. the helicopter overhead. >> police eventually used tear gas to flush out th

jonathan cornish was only 15 when he shot and killed carl lackl. and now cornish will spend the next 40 years behind bars. patrick byers was sentenced in may to four consecutive life terms for ordering the hit using a cell phone. lackl was set to testify against byers in a murder trial. >> like i said, my son was a forgiving person. and all the time i listened to it. and i talk about it, i heard my son saying mom, she was just a kid. and that's kind of heart carl had. >> i'm sorry that jonathan did this. i'm so sorry. and i know that jonathan is too. >> there is no winners here. a lot of losers. kids that for whatever reason don't -- possess the ability to really care. and a lot of that has to do with the hopeless situations they they come up in. >> cornish apparently cares now. he apologized to the lackl family before his sentencing. >>> on the weather front, we had a moderately warm day for august you would have to say around here. 84 degrees is it at bwi. i think the temperatures begin to add up as we go into saturday and sunday. right noy we're

. >> the accused trigger man in the death of a federal witness, carl lackl is sentenced to prison. jonathan cornish plead guilty to gunning down lackl as he stood outside his home with his daughter nearby. cornish was 15 years old when he was paid to murder lackl to prevent him from testifying in court. in the courtroom yesterday cornish apologized to lackl's family. >> that young man looked me straight in the face, looked at my picture of my son, and it made me feel better, it made me really feel like he was listening to m what i was saying. i hope he does well. >> i wish the family the best. >> he wants -- the judge wants cornish to participate in a drug and alcohol program in prison as well as get his g.e.d. >> a prisoner was being transported to jail when he managed to attack a howard county sheriff's deputy and take off. kim dacey has more. >> the search for convicted felon started thursday night. >> police are everywhere, helicopters. >> it lasted most of the day friday. >> i knew something was wrong when i seen the first two officers there. when i seen more come in and then

>> 18-year-old jonathan cornish was sentenced yesterday to 40 years in prison for the death in carl lackl jr. he plead guilty to gunning lackl outside his home when his daughter was nearby. he was paid to kill lackl so he wouldn't testify in court by patrick byers. >> he looked at me and it made me feel better like he was listening to what i was saying. so i hope he does well. >> he was so young. i wish the lackl family the best. >> the court wants cornish to get a g.e.d. and participate in a drug and alcohol program while in prison. >> a disturbing case of animal abuse. they have charged three people with torturing and killing a cat. we want to worn you, some of the details in this story are graphic. here's melissa carlson. >> baltimore county police say it was sunday whether they got a call from a man who said he just returned home from a vacation and while he was gone he got a call from 18-year-old scott mcdowl who told him his cat was dead. >> he was invited by a friend kevin ables over to a house to play cards. able was house sitting for someone in the neighborhood. he got there and

final sentencing in carl lackl's murder. how long the trigger man will be locked up. and looking closer at the state highway administration. what an audit of the department turned up. for those stories and more, join us at 11:00. . >> well, we are headed for a very summer like weekend. dry conditions. a lot of sunshine out there. and temperatures in the mid to upper 80s. 85 degrees for a high temperature tomorrow. 88 on sunday. great weekend to be outside. do yard work or head to the pool. on monday, 89 degrees. and 90 degrees by tuesday. humid conditions will stick around through the weekend. first part of the work week. and then on wednesday and thursday, cold front pushes through here. online for rain showers to develop. 87 wednesday. 86 on thursday. topping off next friday with mostly cloudy skies, and a high of 86 degrees. that's a look at the seven-day forecast. back to you guys. >> thanks jess. >> well in new york, a traffic cop is taking her job too a whole new level. >> hutchinson has a beat in her step while working this mid town intersection. she entertains

here are some of the headlines we're following -- the parents of murder victim carl lackl will speak a trade show today to advocate for cell phone jamming in prisons. law enforcement officials say that could reduce the amount of crime organized from behind bars. lackl was going to be a witness in a maryland murder trial against drug dealer patrick byers, hemmed in prison on murder charges. he ordered the murder using an illegal cell phone. >>> for most of the afternoon on york road and most of the night they let america have it, hashing out the pros and cons of the proposed health care plan. >> health care. when do we want it? now! what do we want? >> armed with signs, bullhorns loud voices, supporters and opponents made their concerns known. everyone agreed citizen involvement is good for the democratic process and while there was a large police presence interest -- there were no reports of serious problems at last night's event. >>> a code red heat alert is in effect all day. the best way to beat the heat, stay indoors. if you don't have ac in baltimore they have several cooling cen

no the parents of murder - >>> the parents of murder victim carl lackl will speak at a trade show todayto support jamming cell phones in prisons patrick byers was in prison on murder charges when authorities say he ordered the murder on an illegal cell phone. >>> do you suffer from anxiety? did you know you can transfer that to your kids? i didn't know that. >> coming up, how to recognize the problem and keep your kids from getting as anxious as you are. >>> when you go from doctor to doctor you have to deal with the difficulty of transferring your health records. but we want you to know your electronic health records will also help you save some time at the doctor's office. >>> he saved six lives in combat in afghanistan. then saved at least one more life after his death. the story of a soldier who was a hero on and off the battlefield. >>> beautiful look downtown there. it will be another hot day today. you got to be prepared for that scorching hot weather. justin berk will have the details coming up. >>> now to today's hot topic -- electronic records. imagine going to your doctor, th

carl lackl was going to be a witness in a murder trial against accused patrick byers when police say rs ordered lackl's murder by using an unauthorized cell phone. >>> he was convicted in june of gunning down john dowry near a bar in northeast baltimore. three years ago two other men got several life terms for faking part in the measure -- taking part in the murder. prosecutors say they did it to protect a drug gang. >>> if you have something happening in our community, we want you to share it with baltimore. up load neighborhood stories and photos. you can also send photos and video directly from your cell to picss at fox baltimore.com. >>> coming up next, celebrating 40 years of peace and love. where you can honor wood stock coming up live in our hometown ♪ ♪ tell me who's watching. ♪ i always feel like somebody's watching me. ♪ (announcer) it's right here. it's easy. ♪ i always feel like somebody's watching me. ♪ it's the money you could be saving with geico. >>> what ray lewis and the ravens mean to baltimore is what jimmy higge hendricks means to . a new generation of music is pa

beginning to see the connection between cell phones behind bars and the type of violence that ended carl lackl's life. in baltimore, brian keebler, abc 2 news. >> and you can look forward to seeing her as an advocate on the bill when the senate comes back after the labor daybreak. >>> governor martin o'mally is keeping his fingers crossed for solar panels being installed over the mansion. the work will start some time next week. >>> finally, how about for some riding a bike, 20 miles is a reason to celebrate. for another man, he won't be satisfied until he crosses then tire country. here's david who came through our state yesterday as he works across the country. all to raise awareness and money for arthritis research. he planned the trip to honor his late mother. he began out in seattle and expects to cross the finish line in cape may, new jersey coming up on sunday. good for paul. >>> listen, even the president knows texting while driving is dangerous. so much so that he has called for a summit to talk about this face-to-face. wait until you see what you are doing behind the wheel of a car. >>

lackle's sister feels capacity for him. >> my brother was a very compassionate person. i know carl would have forgive him. >> reporter: the lackle family has started to jam the fight of cell phone signals from prison. >> why should they have the right to make phone calls? i'm hell bent on getting this problem solved. >> reporter: the fcc prohibits signals from prison. reporting from the federal courthouse in downtown baltimore. >>> the judge says that he wants cornish to pursue a ged and vocational training while serving his sentence. >>> he spent time in prison for running a dog fighting ring, now michael vick is getting a second chance to play in the nfl . >> i made a horrible mistake. i want to be part of the solution, not the problem. >> the 29-year-old atlanta falcons quarterback, is now in top shape to hit the football field. >> how much do you think your skills have diminished or eroded being away from the game for two years? >> two years isn't a long time. i still run as fast and throw the ball as far as before i left. >> you can see the whole interview here tomorrow on 60