we begin tonight with nbc's gabe gutierrez in los angeles. >> i'm shocked. >> junior seau's mom said she learned of her son's death while she was at church. >> i prayed to god, please, take me. take me. leave my child, but it was too late. >> he was a legend in san diego, a star linebacker know for his hard hits, but this morning, news of his death hit especially hard. hundreds quickly gathered outside his home to pay their respects. police say seau's girlfriend found his body with a gunshot wound to the chest. >> this case at this point is being investigated as a suicide. >> he played college ball at the university of southern california. the san diego chargers drafted him in 1990. his career included 12 consecutive pro bowl selections. his last season was 2009. >> it's very shocking and makes you take a big step and look at your life and everything in perspective. >> but life after football wasn't easy. in october 2010, he was arrested on a domestic violence charge. hours after the release, he drove his suv off a cliff. seau said he wasn't trying to kill himself. he had just fallen

gabe gutierrez, nbc news. >>> now to florida and a sad case that shed light on hazing. among some members of elite school marching bands. 13 people were charged today in the death of a florida a&m drum major, but none are charged with murder, and that has people asking why. our report from nbc's kerry sanders. >> the famed florida a&m marching band has been temporarily silenced since robert champion's beating death five months ago. now 13 people on his fam u band bus are accused of pummieling hm to death. 11 of them are charged with third degree felony charges in what the prosecutor called homicide by hazing. >> i have come to believe that hazing is a term for bullying. bullying with a tradition that we cannot bear in america. >> the 26-year-old's parents said they were hoping for a harsher indictment, murder or at minimum, manslaughter. >> there certainly needs to be something more harsh, something to let people know, to send a message that we won't tolerate it anymore. >> why no charge of murder? legal experts say prosecutors would need to know who threw the fatal blo

gabe gutierrez is outside the courthouse in greensburg, north carolina.ing the trial. what do we know at this moment? as i understand it, the judge having heard that they had reached a verdict, we don't know what that verdict is, sent them back to continue their deliberations. but apparently some of the jurors have already indicated to the judge that they can't engage in deliberations tomorrow because some of them have to attend events like graduations. is that right? >> that's right. good afternoon. some of the jurors did say they have to leave early so the jury was expected to be dismissed tomorrow at 2:30. we knew something was going on earlier today. because the jury for the first time said they wanted to work through lunch. that led some to speculate that they had a verdict. within an hour or two the judge called everyone into the courtroom. some of the media was led into an overflow courtroom which is where we were told where we would be if there was a verdict. the marshal thought there was a verdict. the judge even asked the jury, did they have a v

. >> here's nbc's gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: a terrifying sight, a boeing 727 on a crash course overoment of impact. the dust cloud. and the plane skidding to a stop. only this plunge last friday was intentional. >> my sense is this is a reality show disguised as an educational effort trying to get ratings, pushing the envelope. >> reporter: in the video posted on youtube you can see a helicopter with a film crew follow the plane's descent. minutes after its pilot parachuted to safety. it's all part of a discovery channel documentary, exploring how aircraft withstand impact. the 170-passenger plane had crash test dummies and dozens of cameras inside. discovery says it hopes to provide new information about how to improve the chances of survival. but some aviation experts are skeptical. they point out the filmmakers didn't invite the faa, the national transportation safety board, or the airplane manufacturer to the crash site. >> this would have been a perfect, golden opportunity, to allow the industry to collect valuable data. and i don't think discovery or any of the folks that may

nbc's gabe gutierrez has the fascinating video.ake a look. >> reporter: in the western gulf of mexico, about 4,000 feet deep lies a treasure archaeologists dream of, a 200-year-old shipwreck, complete with an anchor, cannon and musket. >> we knew that there was an historic wreck the minute we saw it. it was an amazing moment. >> reporter: jack is with the bureau of ocean energy management in new orleans. he, along with scientists from noaa, the national oceanic and atmospheric administration, used underwater robots with hd cameras to view the 80-foot vessel a few weeks ago. the site had first been noticed last year during an oil and gas survey. >> there is something energizing about that discovery, about that being the first person to see something that hasn't been seen by human eyes in hundreds of years. everything was brust over satellite through the internet. anybody with an internet connection anywhere in the world could see exactly what we were seeing at exactly the same time. >> reporter: most of the ship's wood had worn away

for "today," gabe gutierrez, nbc news, los angeles. >> and now once again, here's lester. >>> jenna,g outside your window and seeing a gigantic sinkhole in your backyard. it happened to one family of six in florida who were forced to evacuate when the 100-foot sinkhole came within a few feet of their back door. luckily, they escaped. lou and denise lambboros arose of their children join us from windermere, florida. good morning. >> good morning. >> lou, it's terrifying to see that sinkhole so close to your home. what's it like for you to see that and know that your kids played in that backyard? >> we're a couple days removed from when it happened. just coming back here is, it's almost frightening for me. it's just because, like you said, i know that my kids played back there. but you know, we feel truly blessed because we believe god spared us from a tragedy. you can look at it as, you know, a natural disaster, but i call it a natural blessing, because you know, i'm thankful i have all of my children. the neighborhood kids used to come over here and play. and you know, i just feel to

here is nbc's gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: for lenami godinez-avila it was an anniversary gift, a hangone week ago from the top of mt. woodside in western canada. investigators say the wide went horribly wrong as she clung to the pilot. >> i could see her starting to slip down his body. finally she got to the feet and tried to hang on and obviously couldn't hang on for that much longer. >> reporter: that pilot, john orders, is seen here in video from her previous flight this time authorities say his passenger plunge d nearly 1,000 feet to her death. investigators are checking whether she was properly strapped in. the story then took a bizarre turn. the pilot was arrested and charged with obstruction of justice. >> the card comes out quite easily. >> reporter: the hang gliding company recorded flights on this one. the memory card might have shown what really happened. according to court documents, the pilot swallowed it. >> this has obviously been a very unique case for us, and we can't lose sight of the fact somebody here lost their life. we'll have to see where the evidence leads us.

>> gabe gutierrez. gabe, thank you very much. his piece there, she was here several years ago for a concert outside. i had a chance to talk to her and i asked her how she felt about being called the queen of disco. take a look. >> i'm curious if 30 years ago, when you started recording some of this music, if you ever stopped to think that today would still be playing as frequently as it is? >> i never did. no. but i'm really happy that it is. >> so you're as surprised by it as everybody else? >> absolutely surprised. >> you know for the last week we've known you've been coming and i have constantly referred to you as the queen of disco. and i'm curious, do you like that title? because you kind of make a little fun of it in one of the songs. >> well, i do like the title because i mean it's nice to be the queen of something, isn't it? >> it is. >> right? >> and you are definitely the queen of disco. >> thank you. >> donna summer on this show several years ago. and she will be missed. >> oh, so much so. >> last dance. >> that's one

nbc's gabe gutierrez has details on this. gabe, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, matt.re, but she has stabilized. and friends and relatives are hopeful that she'll not only be able to survive, but that she'll keep all of her limbs. lana kiuykendall had expected t spend the week bonding with her newborn twins. >> lana got to hold her babies once. >> reporter: instead the new mother is fighting for her life. >> so you've got two babies that don't have a mom right now. >> reporter: the 36-year-old gave birth at the beginning of last week in an atlanta hospital. a week ago today she was released and drove back home here to greenville, south carolina. friday morning, friends say, she noticed a spot in the back of her left leg. at first, kuykendall, a paramedic, thought it was a blood clot. >> around 11:00, 11:30 is when she saw it. it was about the size of her palm. her husband said. and then by the time she went to surgery and they thought they knew what it was, it had consumed practically her whole leg. >> reporter: since then, her husband, darren, a firefighter, has stood

nbc's gabe gutierrez is in san diego with this story. gabe, good morning. >> reporter: ann, good morning. the makeshift memorials have been growing both at seau's home in oceanside and here at his restaurant in san diego. it is clear that he touched many lives both on and off the field. overnight, they gathered to mourn. many wearing number 55. >> i can't believe he's gone. >> i was devastated. i couldn't believe he was dead. >> junior! >> reporter: his mother inconsolable. >> i pray to god, please. take me. take me. leave my son! but it's too late! >> reporter: wednesday morning at his beachfront home, junior seau's girlfriend found his body, police say, with a gunshot wound to the chest. >> this case at this point is being investigated as a suicide. >> reporter: the san diego chargers drafted junior seau in 1990. his career included 12 consecutive pro bowls and since with the miami dolphins and new england patriots. >> today is a very sad day, a very tragic day for the city of san diego. >> when you know the man -- >> reporter: former t

for "today," gabe gutierrez, nbc news, los angeles. >> i guess the proof will be in the pudding whennk it's a valid criticism that they perhaps should have invited some officials or experts to witness it. but if they do learn things in the end, i'm all for it. >> just ahead, ryan o'neal talking about his tumultuous love affair with farrah fawcett and also his relationship with his children. that's coming up. the shops concept encompases a lot of newness. doing project with different stores is a really cool idea. we want to bring a little piece of the boutique experience to target. a real taste of luxury. it's pretty special for us to imagine this little nook of polka dog will be in target stores all around the country. the shops we fell in love with, collected and curated for you. exclusively at target. nighttime is the worst. i can't breathe and forget sleeping. good mornings? not likely! i've tried the pills the sprays even some home remedies. then i tried something new. [ male announcer ] drug-free breathe right nasal strips. [ woman ] you just put it on and ... amazing! instant r

but first, nbc's gabe gutierrez is in augusta, georgia with more on this. . >> ann, good morning. amy remains in critical condition here but her father is calling her survival a miracle. and her friends are hopeful that she'll be able to breathe on her own soon. for the family of 24-year-old anticipate copeland her recovery has been agonizing. >> her fingers basically appear mummified at this point. and it makes me shake to think about it. >> reporter: copeland contracted a rare flesh-eating bacteria almost two weeks ago. she was out with friends along this river west of atlanta, when a homemade zip line broke, copeland fell, badly cutting her leg. days later, the infection spread, leaving the university of west georgia graduate student fighting for her life. >> she is just an extraordinary woman, and -- and with adventurous in the way that she looks at the world, in the way that she looked at herself. >> reporter: since then her father has been updating the world on her roller coaster recovery, through facebook and blog posts. early last week, aimee opened

gabe gutierrez is in augusta with the latest for us. gabe, good morning. >> lester, good morning.ed of a third case with ties to georgia being treated here, the same hospital where 24-year-old aimee copeland is recovering. in a new blog post aimee's father says that she's now breathing on her own, she's off the respirator and even cracking jokes. a significant improvement since the amputations late last week. aimee copeland's emotional roller coaster, documented in her dad's facebook posts. andy copeland writes while his daughter faced losing her hands and feet she did not lose her sense of humor. on wednesday he remembers telling her, aimee, you are as priceless as the mona lisa. his daughter shook her head and mouthed the words, i'm nothing like the mona lisa. she doesn't have eyebrows. by the next day, though, her condition worsened. her father says he finally told her about the accident, how she had contracted the flesh-eating infection while continuelining with her friends. i took aimee's hands and held them up to her face, he writes. she didn't draw back in horror. she knew

gabe gutierrez has more. >> reporter: for the family of 24-year-old amy copeland her recovery has beengers basically appear mummified at this point and it makes me shake tongue about it. >> reporter: copeland contracted a rare, flesh eating bacteria almost two weeks ago. she was out with friends along this river west of atlanta when a home made zip line broke. she fell badly cutting her leg. days later the infection spread leaving the university of west georgia graduate student fighting for her life. >> she is just an extraordinary woman and was adventurous in the way that she looked at the world and the way she looked at herself. >> reporter: since then her father has been updating the world on her rollercoaster recovery through facebook and blog posts. early last week aimee opened her eyes this morning. on tuesday, aimee's survival chances are slim to none. but by friday a breakthrough. she mouthed the words "where am i" and over the weekend started to rely less on her respirator. >> prefer to let time play out. let's see what god's will is for her and i believe that will will be don

nbc's gabe gutierrez live in san diego. here in the studio nbc news contributor, psychologist and assistant clinical professor jeff guardeer. let's get facts and talk about how people are reacting to this. they say it came with little to no warnings there was such problems in seau's life. >> reporter: tom, good morning. that outpouring of support continues in san diego. the makeshift memorials as you can see continue to grow here at his restaurant and also at his oceanside home. police aren't saying why seau may have pulled the trigger. he did not leave a suicide note but this has come as a shock to san diego. seau was a legend here. a star linebacker at usc, drafted by the chargers in 1990. he was selected to the pro bowl 12 consecutive times. his last season was in 2009. life after football wasn't very easy, apparently, for seau. in 2010 he was arrested on a domestic violence charge. he drove his suv off a cliff. he said he wasn't trying to kill himself at the time, that he had only fallen asleep at the wheel. he's now th

. >> gabe gutierrez has more on her recovery and the growing mystery about this infection. >> reporter's emotional rollercoaster documented in her dad's facebook post. he writes that while his daughter faced losing her hands and feet she did not lose her sense of humor. on wednesday he remembers telling her, aimee, you are as priceless as the mona lisa. his daughter shook her head and mouthed the words "i'm nothing like the mona lisa. she doesn't have eyebrows." by the next day, though, her condition worsened. her father says he finally told her about the accident. how she had contracted the flesh-eating infection while zip lining with her friends. i took aimee's hands and held them up to her face he writes. she didn't draw back in horror. she knew the condition she was in. when doctors said they'd have to amputate her hands and remaining foot, she smiled and raised her hands up. we all understood her next three words. let's do this. she is not the only one battling what is called necrotizing faciatis. a south carolina woman contracted the infection days after giving birth to twins in

gabe gutierrez is standing by. ladies and gentlemen, we apologize for the frab particular nature of this. this is all very unusual. gabe is standing by live. what can you tell me is going on there? >> reporter: that's exactly right. this is very bizarre. we expected to hear a verdict on all six counts, or at least some sort of information about what the jurors had been deciding. as you mentioned, they've only reached a verdict on count three. that is down that relates to the campaign contributions given by rachel bunny mellon to john edwards back in 2008. we don't know why the jury decided on that count in particular and not count two which also had to deal with the so-called bunny money a year before in 2007. some of the media was assembled in an overflow courtroom and as soon as that decision was read in court, many of us ran out to report this news. just within the past few seconds this happened. as we mentioned, the jury has been placed back. has been told to leave the courtroom. so we're still trying to figure

. >> we have more with gabe gutierrez. >> hi there.cky mountain park. >> in the mountains of colorado, park rangers are seeing more than green this spring. they are also noticing a little more gray. the average visitor to national parks is getting older. john o'malley has enjoyed the trails for almost half a century. apparently that love of nature is not what it used to be. back in 1996, at death valley national park, almost a third of visitors were in their 20's. in the last few years that number has dropped from 11% at yosemite to 6%. at rocky national park, the average age of visitors has risen to 46. >> right now we see a lot of youth not coming to the parks. i think there are a lot of distractions for young people. >> overall attendance at national parks has dropped only slightly. but with fewer young visitors some conservationisted worry about what could happen in the decades to come. >> if we do not do a better job of inviting young people to the national park and providing the funding to do that, the parks will become less rele

gabe gutierrez, nbc news. angeles. >>> in today's then and now, remembering those who fought in the war that changed the world. here's brian williams on "nbc nightly news" 17 years ago today. >> 20,000 people died on average on each day of world war ii. in europe, the war against the nazis lasted five years, eight months and one week. 50 years ago, monday, the fighting stopped and the celebrating started. today, it resumed. our report from nbc's linda vester in london. >> this day, will bring back many memories to many people. god bless them all. >> veterans of world war ii, joining the queen mother to celebrate their victory of 50 years ago. 60 heads of state, some former allies, sorm former enemies, toasting peace. a special ceremony for the thousands of americans who died in battle. >> but at last in may 1945, the killing stopped. and the silence of exhaustion settled down over these ancient lands. >> all these years later, a national memorial to those who fought now stands in washington, it was dedicated i