. >> reporter: paul merhige faced a judge for the first time today.fter five long weeks being hunted and managing to elude federal officers. accused of gunning down his own family after sharing thanksgiving with them. >> just trying to get out a massive campaign -- >> reporter: terrorized neighbors had tried to help. no one knew if he was around the block or across the country. described as armed, dangerous, and unpredictable. the man his family says sat pleasantly through thanksgiving dinner, then went to his car, came back with a gun, and opened fire, killing his twin sisters, one of whom was pregnant, his elderly aunt, and his 6-year-old cousin makayla, here in home video. ♪ this christmas who was asleep in her bed, set to perform in "the nutcracker" the next day. >> i think he shot my 6-year-old daughter. >> he what? >> please hurry. >> reporter: investigators say merhige had carefully planned out his attack and his escape. he had his passport, a lot of money, and several guns, including a sniper rifle. here he is caught on tape in the days leadin

now, we've just gotten this new photo of murder suspect paul merhige.used of shooting and killing four members of his family after thanksgiving dinner. in his first court appearance this morning he was held without bond until he awaits trial. he killed his twin sisters, a 79-year-old aunt and a 6-year-old. >> it means i'll be able to sleep a little better tonight. and i won't be patrolling the inside of my house with my shotgun, thinking that the monster is right around the corner. i've been in protective mode, and now that he's captured, at least my family, we can even begin the healing process. >> merhige was captured when a viewer of the show "america's most wanted" recognized him and his car. >>> a woman is resting at her parents' house after authorities say she escaped from her exfiance. police say dennis cox kidnapped the woman in colorado last tuesday. three days later she escaped while they were at a wyoming hotel. cox fled back to colorado and was killed in a shootout with police. >> he had a pistol, and he was holding it to his head. they were

investigators said that merhige planned this all out, including his escape. for weeks his family had lived in fear that he would come back. then last night a tip after "america's most wanted" led police right to him in a motel room in the florida keys. >> there's a weight lifted off our shoulders obviously by making this apprehension. now i n stand before you and tell you this family is safe, we can give them a little peace and let them get on with their healing process. >> reporter: the family had described merhige as brilliant but unstable and said that he announced during the shootings that he had waited 20 years to do it. now they and people around here can know that paul merhige is now in custody, lester. >> michelle kaczynski, thank you. joining us exclusively are jim and muriel sitton, the parents of makayla. good morning to both of you. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> jim, if i can begin with you, none of us can begin to understand what it must have been like the last five weeks knowing that he was out there. what was it like to wake up this morn

they truly had no idea who paul merhige was until they saw that commercial. was denied bond and is facing at least four counts of >> stephanie sy, thank you. >>> one weather note tonight. cold temperature and snow are hitting much of the northeast and midwest. parts of new england are under two feet of snow. football fans in minneapolis tailgated in temperatures reaching 13 below. >>> up next, the self-help guru with a suitcase full of steroids and diet supplements. during a deadly sweat lodge during a deadly sweat lodge ceremony? that brighten, hydrate, otooth, even tone, reduce the look of lines and pores, and lock in moisture. 7-in-1 olay total effects. i switched to a complete multivitamin with more. only one a day men's 50+ advantage... has gingko for memory and concentration. plus support for heart health. ( crowd roars ) ! that's a great call. one a day men's. it can be tough living with copd... but i try not to let it slow me down. i go down to the pool for a swim... get out and dance... even play a little hide-n-seek. i'm breathing better... with spi

. >> reporter: paul merhige is being held without bond and facing four counts of first degree murder. stephanie sy, abc news, new york. >>> now overseas where the worst winter storm in years has brought beijing to a standstill. the snow was so heavy, roads are impassable and schools closed this morning. passengers at the main airport in beijing are stranded. forecasters say temperatures have hit a record low. >>> here in this country a similar scene in parts of new england. a winter storm dumped nearly 3 feet of snow on burling ton, vermont. temperatures dipped into the teens. powerful winds created whiteout conditions. but kids made the best of it. broke out some sleds and snow tubes and took to the hills. >> i'm glad somebody enjoyed it because i didn't leave the house. it was terrible here. >>> here's monday weather. a cold snap from the plains to the new england states and along the gulf coast with most of florida under freeze warnings today. windy with lake-effect snow from the great lakes to the northeast. the heaviest between cleveland and buffalo. and rain and mountain snow in

marshals captured paul merhige at a hotel in the florida keys last night. there he is on surveillance camera. he was the focus of an intense manhunt after he allegedly shot and killed his twin sisters and a 79-year-old aunt. he also allegedly killed 6-year-old michaela sitton as she slept in her family's jupiter, florida, home. with his arrest, michaela's father says he will be able to sleep at night. >> it means i'll be able to sleep a little better tonight, and i won't be patrolling the inside of my house with my shotgun, you know, thinking that the monster is right around the corner. i've been in protective mode. and now that he's captured, at least, you know, my family, we can even begin the healing process. >> merhige was captured when a viewer of "america's most wanted" recognized him and his car. >>> the u.s. embassy in yemen is closed today because of al qaeda threats against american interests. the embassy is not saying if there is any specific threat. and it's unclear when it will reopen. the head of u.s. centcom, saved petraeus, met with yemen's

palmeiro hiu paul merhige he was arrested last night after the owner of the hotel where he was staying recognized him from "america's most wanted." the father of a 6-year-old girl was relived when he heard the news. >> i will be able to sleep better tonight and won't be patrolling the inside of my house with the shotgun, thinking the monster is right around the corner. i have been in protective mode now that he is captured, at least my family, we can -- even begin the healing process. >> merhige is accuse of kill his 79-year-old aunt and his twin sisters, one of whom was pregnant. he is being held without bond on four counts of murder. >>> an nba player admits to having a gun in the locker room but part of the story he didn't talk about that everyone else is talking about and we are getting new video this afternoon out of concern, as anti-government protests -- protesters raise their voice against the regime. we are monitoring the today's developments and will check in. >>> president obama preparing for his next big policy push. you may not like this one, kids. parents, you might not e

police arrested paul merhige at a motel last night in the florida keys.ds accused of killing his twin sisters, his aunt and his cousin's 6-year-old daughter. the little girl's parents reacted to the arrest this morning on the "today" show. >> it was a huge relief to know that the monster is in the cage the last, you know, ever since we've come back into the house, i've been in protective mode and we've had jupiter police in front of our house and in back protecting us 24 hours a day, seven days a week. even with that, i would be inside my house, you know, patrolling the different windows. >> nbc's michelle kosinski is live in miami with more. good morning. >> hi, david. yeah, that family really lived in fear for the rest of these five weeks. you know, after they had it to endure that thanksgiving massacre. the rest of the community, too, was afraid. what kuz so terrifying was that police say this man paul merhige, had meticulously planned out his attack, he was armed and dangerous, and nobody knew where he was or what he might or might not be planning nex

police arrested paul merhige at a motel last night in the florida keys. he's accused of killing his twin sisters, his aunt and his cousin's 6-year-old daughter. the little girl's father reacted to the arrest. >> this does not bring my daughter back. so i'm not jumping up and down in jubilation. but, you know, at least now i will be able to sleep knowing the monster is not right outside my door hoping to finish what he start opds thanksgiving. >>> michelle kosinski is live in miami with more. how did police manage to break this case? . >> hi david. it was finally a tip from the public after watching "america's most wanted" as so many cases are solved around the country. someone sees something, they call police. this is a case that has had people on edge from here up to michigan and beyond for weeks because police had said paul merhige was armed and dangerous, that he had his passport, a lot of cash and several guns, including a sniper rifle and they didn't know where he was. the man that his family said sat pleasantly through thanksgiving dinner, went to h

paul merhige, accused of gunning down four of his relatives on thanksgiving day, appeared in court today. merhige was arrested at a florida keys motel saturday night after the owner recognized him from an episode of "america's most wanted." the father of one of the victims, a 6-year-old girl, was relieved when he heard the news. >> it means i'll be able to sleep a little better tonight and i won't be patrolling the inside of my house with my shotgun, you know, thinking that the monster is right around the corner. i've been in protective mode. and now that he's captured, at least, you know, my family, we can even begin the healing process. >> merhige is also accused of killing his 79-year-old aunt and his twin sisters, one of whom was pregnant. he's being held without bond on four counts of murder. >>> someone hung a doll said to be the likeness of president barack obama from a building in former president jimmy carter's hometown, and the secret service want to know who did it. now, here's a close-up of the doll hanging on the home of jimmy carter -- the jimmy carter sign in plains, georg

police arrested paul merhige at a hotel last night in the florida keys.e's accused of killing his twin sisters, his aunt and 56-year-old girl. >> it was a huge relief to know that the monster's in the cage ever since we've come back into the house, i've been in protective mode. we've had jupiter police in the front of our house and in basket protecting us 24 hours a day, seven days a week. but even with that, i would be inside my house patrolling the different windows. >> nbc's michelle kosinski is live in miami where this has been a front page story for weeks. michelle, describe how police were able do this. >> reporter: it seems remarkable that as meticulously planned out as police say paul merhige's massacre on his own family thanksgiving night was, as well as his escape, this is a guy who was caught on surveillance video buying guns the day before the attack, getting his car serviced, taking thousands of dollars out of the bank, that he was caught so close to where it all started. he was in this area. he was still driving the same car. in fact, it was

police say after paul merhige did this, he took off in his car they say he had tuned up just for the occasion with guns he had just bought and money he had just taken out of the bank. they say that this, including the escape, was carefully planned but he was still driving that car when finally a citizen was watching "america's most wanted," recognized it and sent police to him, a motel room in the middle of the florida keys. but for over five weeks he was able to escape and evade any kind of notice, even being in the same area where people and especially his family had lived in fear. >> i'm really happy that the monster's in a cage. we've been under 24-hour, seven-day-a-week protection and needless to say, we haven't been sleeping real well. so now we're -- we can begin the process of mourning and grieving the loss of my daughter and my wife's mother and the cousins. >> reporter: this family had described merhige as brilliant but unstable and that he was taking several medications, including antianxiety drugs. they said that during the shooting he announced that he had been waiting f

authorities were able to track down merhige from a tip that came in from the owner of the motel merhigesouth of jupiter. the motel owners had recognized him from a preview of the show "america's most wanted" and then called the show's tip line. >> the first thing the news flashed his face on the screen and i go, you know, that's him. >> reporter: merhige had been camping out in this florida motel room alone under fake name. he used only cash, stockpiled canned food and had covered his blue toyota to conceal it. >> we can begin the process of mourning. >> reporter: how in custody, merhige faces four counts of first-degree murder. mark strassmann, cbs news, atlanta. >>> also this morning, it looks like tiger woods may pay dearly for his infidelity. his wife elin is telling friends she's getting $300 million in a divorce. this according to news of the world. the paper also says she refused to let him see their kids at christmas and it also says that the golfer is keeping out of sight at a new york hotel. >>> it is now 8:04 on this first month of 2010. dave price is outside with a look at t

. >> reporter: caught -- fugitive paul merhige. accused of the thanksgiving-day slaughter of four family members. the 35-year-old was holed up in a florida keys' motel. he had stockpiled his own food, cleaned his own motel room. covered his car. checked in, under a false name. >> somebody knows where this guy is. >> reporter: but saturday, when the tv show, "america's most wanted" promoed its broadcast on the murders and the elusive miami suspect -- >> there is a $100,000 reward that you'll be guaranteed to get if you do the right thing. make that call. >> reporter: an alert motel owner realized the guest in a room on the second floor was merhige. >> my daughter you know, was right next to him. in an apartment right next to him and that made me feel like, oh, my god, i got a serial killer next to my daughter. >> so while i was watching "america's most wanted" i knew that paul was watching "america's most wanted." but i knew something that he didn't. i knew that his hotel room was being surrounded. and the irony was pretty sweet. >>

. >> reporter: police arrested 35-year-old michael paul merhige. late saturday night.y an hour after the show "america's most wanted" profiled him for a fourth time. they believe he checked into a small hotel using a fake name about a week after the massacre. >> there was one entrance to the room. law enforcement officers made entry and found him inside. >> reporter: police say he was tasered and captured. as recently as even this weekend, volunteers and a relative handed out flyers in hopes that someone would recognize him and he would turn himself in. >> you have ruined your parents' lives. give yourself up, put an end to your misery. >> reporter: the arrest ends a five-week search. it was on thanksgiving night, shortly after sharing dinner with 16 relatives in florida that he allegedly shot and killed his pregnant sister and her twin, an aunt and a young cousin. >> he shot multiple people. i think he shot my 6-year-old daughter. >> we're on the way. >> shortly after the shootings, jim talked about how he tried to rescue his daughter. >> i heard, pow, pow, pow. that'

marshals arrested paul merhige at a hotel in the florida keys late last night.ar-old is charged with killing his twin sisters, 79-year-old aunt and 6-year-old cousin at a family gatheri in jupiter, florida. the 6-year-old victim's parents appeared on the "today" show this morning. >> i wake up in tears and the tear last for about an hour and a half, two hours, and so the grief is great. the manhunt definitely added a lot of stress to us and our family and the fear of thinking that perhaps he would strike again. so it made it extremely difficult. but now we can at least rest knowing that he's behind bars and that we can focus on the grieving process that we need to go through. >> police credit the tv show "america's most wanted" for the tip that led to merhige's arrest. >>> investigators believe a broken rail signal is to blame for a train collision that killed one of the train's conductors and injured at least four other people inorthwest turkey. the trains collided head-on today about 250 miles south of istanb istanbul. the country's rail system has been plague

. >> reporter: after more than a month on the lam, paul merhige was arrested saturday night. hiding out a at this motel. the 35-year-old is accused of gunning down his twin sisters, elderly aunt, and cousin's 6-year-old daughter on thanksgiving. >> i'm really happy that, you know, the monster's in a cage. >> reporter: after months of plasring florida neighborhoods with wanted posters, it was a few seconds on tv that led to the arrest. the owners of the motel saw his picture flash on-screen during a commercial for "america's most wanted." >> there was no doubt because we have a big-screen tv in the house. it just shocked him to the core and he came up front and he says, i can't believe this, but he's upstairs. >> reporter: it was the fourth time the story aired on the program. with an urgent plea from john walsh. >> few stories have made me as angry or as sad as our first case tonight. >> reporter: in 20 years, "america's most wanted" has helped to put more than 1,000 criminals behind bars. >> have you seen jaycee lee dugard? >> reporter: and like so many high-profile crimes b

merhige is being held without bond and faces at least four charges of first degree murder.ica," stephanie sy, new york. >>> in other news, two powerful earthquakes rocked the solomon islands, a 6.2 magnitude and a second, 6.5. no one was seriously hurt. >>> and finally, the first thing that most people say when they win the lottery is they're quitting their job. but not one woman in kansas. victoria mason was back on her job the next day. the single mom had trouble paying her bills after getting laid off in march. back to sam. is that fantastic? >> it's a different attitude. when you're a lottery winner. it's whatever. i don't need to. let's get live shots out of the way here. we're talking about the cold weather when you wake up, chances are you're a little chilly like boston this morning. almost a foot of snow this weekend. you just couldn't get out of that back door low. atlanta, 18 degrees. 18 degrees yesterday as well. 37 for the high. you're normally right around 52. it's slip and slide in atlanta. anything that looks wet is not wet. it's a solid sheet of ice there. b

. >> paul merhige is being held without bond. >>> the federal aviation administration is stepping up its investigation of american airlines. this follows tee landing mishaps. this includes an accident in jamaica. investigators also want to know why wing tips hit the ground during austin and char slot. >> facebook is now being blamed on a growing number of divorces. according to london's "telegraph" divorce lawyers say the site is tempting people to cheat. a law firm now cites 1 in 5 divorces in facebook. >>> time for sports and an end to the regular seon. here's ducis rodgers at espn news. >> good morning, i'm ducis rodgers with this espn news update. a lot of drama heading into the final week of the nfl season. the jets with the bengals. the jets clinch a play offberth with a victory. brad smith under center. option right, 32 yards for the touchdown. mark sanchez and the jets are headed to the playoffs with a 37-0 victory. they'll face cincinnati again in week onen saturday. >>> ravens and raiders with the win. the ravens have a playoff spot. willis mcgahee up the middle. and a 73-y

paul merhige was a fugitive for more than a month after the shootings of two sisters, an aunt and a cousin in jupiter, florida. he was staying at a motel in the florida keys under a phony name. he was caught on saturday thanks to a tip from the motel owner who saw the suspect's faes while he was watching sports on tv. >> the football game was over and then the news came on. and the news, first thing the news flashed his face on the screen. and i go, you know, that's him. >> he called the tip line and police came an arrested the suspect. >>> there is a disturbing increase in the number of police officers shot to death in the u.s. even more alarming is that more are dying in incidents involving multiple officers. bob orr reports. >> reporter: the cold blooded killing of four seattle police officers last november is the worth police shooting in washington state history. four officers gunned down at a coffee shop as they huddled over their laptops. but that spree is just the latest in a deadly year in which police have been repeatedly ambushed. numbers show at least 48 officers were killed by

paul merhige, accused of killing his twin sisters, an aunt and a cousin was booked on sunday, ordered held without bond. >>> and a big money milestone for "avatar," which held on to the top spot of the weekend box office, it took in more than $68 million. and became only the fifth movie ever to bass the $1 billion mark worldwide. "sherlock holmes" was second. >>> let's go back outside to matt. >>> thank you very much. mr. roker is right here with a check of the weather. >> got a 14-year-old birthday girl. who's the birthday girl? what's your name? >> lexi. >> where are you from? >> colorado. >> happy birthday. >> thank you. >> get in and get warm. >> let's check your weather and see what's happening. we've got the cold air in there. let's take a look. you can see freeze warnings from iowa all the way down to florida. it is cold and you can see the temperatures right now, 35 below in international falls, four above in st. louis. factor in the wind chill, look at that, it feels even worse. then the high temperatures, single digits throughout the upper plains. only 19 in chicago. that co