derrick ward explains. >>> this heart-warming scene was in the backyard of a capitol hill home. yes, those are chickens of the the children fell in love with fowl after a school project. >> the public school they had hatched chickens in the classroom and the kids had a fabulous time with it. then they started visiting their cause tins in austin, texas, and santa fe, new mexico, and just loved the chickens. we decided to hatch them ourselves. >> reporter: but the coop is empty these days and the chickens on a farm. >> the dog barked at the chickens and they called the police. the police said we had to get rid of them somehow. >> reporter: it's not illegal to raise chickens in the district, just difficult. they can't be raised 50 feet from an occupied dwelling. >> we didn't know there was a 50-foot rule in d.c. that prevents somebody with a backyard my size from keeping chickens. so we came into it not really knowing exactly what we were doing. >> reporter: what they're doing now is spearheading legislation that would help, and ease the 50-foot rule. >> you don't have to be as far

derrick ward is here to explain. >> you know, if you say chicken to most city dwellers, they will direct you to the closest carryout or grocery store. this is in the backyard of a capitol hill home. those are chickens. the children fell in love with fowl after a school project. >> they had hatched chickens in the classroom, and the kids had a fabulous time with it. and they started visiting their cousins in austin, texas, and santa fe, new mexico. so we decided to hatch them ourselves. >> reporter: but the coop is empty these days and the chickens are in exile on a farm. >> they barked at the chickens and they called the police. the police came and said we had to bring them back to the farm or get rid of them. >> reporter: it's not illegal to raise chickens in the district, just difficulty. >> we didn't know that there was a 50-foot rule in d.c. that pre vents somebody with a backyard my size from keeping chickens. so we came into it not really knowing exactly what we were doing. >> reporter: they're spearheading an effort to get the restrictions relaxed. it would help ease the 50-foot r

derrick ward is in upper marlboro to tell us about this. >> reporter: there was an impassioned statement from the convicted man's mother about how he was a loving child and his adult life spiraled out of control thanks to drugs. the convicted man himself addressed the court, apologizing, saying he was a changed man in part because of the words of the victim's father. however, he was in court because of that deal he said he had with a previous judge and today the judge weighed in and his ruling was, no deal. he pled guilty to murder back in 1998 in connection with his role in the 1997 murder and robbery of 28-year-old off-duty d.c. police officer oliver smith jr. outside his forestville home. his sentence, life in prison. but during a 2005 reconsideration hearing, strickland said he had been promised by a previous judge a plea agreement that all but 50 years of the life sentence would be reduced in exchange for the guilty plea. today's ruling by judge michael whalen all but eliminated the notion that such a deal existed. >> we thank god for the sentence that was the result of this particu