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pierre thomas, abc news, washington. >>> three officials whose huge salaries sparked outrage in a smallrnia town have resigned. the decision was announced after a closed door meeting early this morning. anger had been building ever since it was revealed the city administrator made nearly $800,000. and the police chief, $457,000. the average salary for residents of the town was about $30,000. >>> lobster fishing along a huge stretch of the atlantic coast has survived a proposal to ban it. scientists recommended a five-year ban from south of cape cod to north carolina, because lobster populations have dwindled. lobstermen argue that would kill the entire industry. fishing regulators have agreed to give current conservation measures a little more time to succeed. >>> if you wonder why national parks warn people to keep their distance from the animals, take a look at this. a woman traced a bison in a national park, when an object suddenly hit it. the bison charged. she was bruised while the friend tripped and hurt her shoulder. a bison charged and injured another visitor at yellowstone earl

pierre thomas, on the way to the accused murderer, who was stalking his prey. >> reporter: jason thomas scott is a bright young college grad pursuing a masters in computer science. maryland authorities say he is also a stone cold killer. >> today a prince george's county grand jury returned a seven-count indictment against jason scott. >> reporter: scott was charged with murdering delores dewitt, a nurse, and her 20-year-old daughter ebony in march of 2009. >> she was a beautiful person, had a beautiful spirit. >> reporter: their charred bodies were found in a stolen car that had been set on fire. just months earlier, less than a mile away from the dewitt murders, police believe scott disarmed the security system at this home and then shot another nurse, karen lofton, as she hid in a corner. her 16-year-old daughter was repeatedly shot as she tried to dial 911. authorities believe scott, a ups employee, used his access working in a package sorting facility to find his victims' addresses. >> his employment is a core piece of this investigation. it's going to be very critical in laying ou

pierre thomas, thank you. >>> and we're going to turn overseas, where there is a sharp backlash against the vatican, after the catholic church condemned the idea of ordaining women, by putting female priests in a similar category as pedophiles. here's jim sciutto now. >> reporter: it was billed as part of the vatican's tough new response to abuse. formalizing rules, including defining possession of child pornography as abuse. and making it easier to defrock offending priests. but many were astonished at the inclusion of a new crime, right alongside pedophilia. ordaining women priests. the vatican made it clear the two were not the same, calling abuse, quote, more grave. but just the association sparked outrage. this is one of five american women ordained as part of a catholic reform movement, and excommunicated by the vatican. >> they're equating both as criminal acts, therefore this is an example of misogyny and patriarchy and really taking on women as the enemy in the church. >> reporter: so, why would the church pair these issues? pedophilia and women priests? is it just bad pr, or i

abc's pierre thomas reports. >> reporter: the suspects are doctors, nurses and other health care providers, arrested in a series of raids across the country. 94 people charged with committing $251 million in medicare fraud. grand theft of your tax dollars. >> it's the most heinous kind of crime. offering services that have no medical benefit. lying. >> reporter: the suspects are accused of billing the federal government for equipment never sold and medical treatment never provided. we saw the epidemic of fraud firsthand as part of our investigation in miami last year. this is nothing. >> this company was supposed to have provided, to medicare patients, over $400,000 worth of medical equipment last month. >> reporter: no evidence of anybody having been in here in a while, it looks like. authorities provided abc news surveillance footage to show how blatant the scams have become. this miami receptionist negotiates with a patient for a kickback, so they can charge medicare for treatment he never got. >> nothing for monday? >> no. >> why? >> you didn't show up. >> when i don't show up at the o

pierre thomas, abc news, washington. ead ond still ahead on "world news," testing your dna. do those at-home tests really unlock the mysteries of disease? >>> the social networking be tution. why politics will never be the same. >>> perks of office. a of cmer member of congress ditched this car. why you're paying the bill. what you did at this morning's meeting? that was pure poetry. stop it. hello? you spotted a million dollar accounting error that no one else noticed. that was pretty sweet. but you did have eight layers of sweet crunchy back up. what can i say? you're the man. or -- you know, the little dude. that's me. [ female announcer ] stop mid-morning hunger with kellogg's® frosted mini-wheats® cereal. an excellent source of fiber from 100% whole grain that helps you stay full, so you can stay focused. also, try chocolate little bites. so, how'd the meeting go? outstanding, i wowed them with my chocolate chip center. another heart attack could be lurking, waiting to strike. a heart attack that's caused by a clot, one that could be fatal. but plavix helps save lives.

pierre thomas reports. >> reporter: the horror began at this home on january 26th, 2009, as an intruderd slipped in. karen lofton, a 45-year-old nurse, was fatally shot as she tried to hide in this corner. her 16-year-old daughter was repeatedly shot as she frantically dialed 911 from her bed. police were perplexed. the doors were locked. no signs of forced entry. neighbors were terrified. two months later, the bodies of dolores dewitt, 42, and her 20-year-old daughter, ebony, were found in a burning car less than a mile away from the loftons' home. another nurse and a daughter killed. >> i will tell you mr. scott presented us with a very challenging ability to identify him as a suspect. >> reporter: this man, jason thomas scott, was charged in the murders of the dewitts and the chief of police here is convinced he's responsible for more. >> here's a mother and a daughter in a very quiet community where we don't see violence. yes, we've had some burglaries here. but again, they're saying the way the crime scene is left very troublesome. it does not tell us so much about what's occurring

here's abc's pierre thomas. >> reporter: the fbi claims zachary chesser, who just two years ago was a in a suburban virginia high school, became a terrorist hell-bent on jihad. neighbors can't believe chesser, a former high school athlete, wanted to join al shabaab, the al qaeda-affiliated terrorist group based in somalia. the same group suspected in the recent bombings in uganda that killed 73 soccer fans. >> i'm just shocked, i'm surprised. not the kind of thing i would have expected in this neighborhood. >> reporter: abc news has learned chesser is one of 34 americans charged and accused of ties to international terrorists in the past 18 months. law enforcement sources tell abc news the trend represents an unprecedented spike in homegrown terror that has them deep lawyer concerned. >> the last six to nine months has seen more fbi activity in this country against radical islamists than the days immediately after 9/11. >> reporter: some of those charged are well-known, like faisal shahzad, convicted of trying to blow up a car in times square. others barely made headlines. bryant vina

pierre thomas has the latest and joins us live from washington.morning, pierre. >> reporter: hi, robin. this morning police say they expect the investigation to expand across state lines into texas, florida and the district of columbia and what they describe as a chilling case. five women murdered in a span of only nine months in one suburban maryland county. january 2009. karen lofton, a nurse fatally shot as she tried to hide in this corner of her own home. her daughter gunned down as she frantically dialed 911 for help. the killer had disarmed their security system. the doors were locked. no signs of forced entry. two months later in march, another nurse, delores dewitt, and her daughter, ebony, savagely murdered and left in the trunk of a burning car. >> i am hurting because i have lost a friend. >> reporter: and vilma butler, executed and left to burn in her home in june 2008. police say they believe 27-year-old jason thomas scott was methodically killing these women. rosa smith is the mother of delores dewitt. >> to do this without knowing a