with the odds stack against them, it seems nearly everyone had a strategy, and abc's ryan owens has a day in the life of a jackpot-crazed nation. >> tonight's mega-millions jackpot is a world record $640 million. >> reporter: the nation held its breath tonight. >> our first number tonight is -- >> reporter: waiting on those six little numbers that add up to so many hopes and end up dashing so many millions of dreams. >> 46, 23, 38, 4, 2 and the megaball is 23. >> reporter: with the biggest jackpot in history up for grabs, we spent the day crisscrossing the country to discover people's strategies to win it all. 6:00 a.m. in dallas. dawn of a dreamer's biggest day. this gas station is hopping. even as the long horning who live right next door are just waking up. >> five megamillions. >> good luck. >> reporter: keisha lions is wide awake and ready to win. >> i picked dates that are important to me. >> reporter: like? >> birthday, anniversary. date of divorce. >> reporter: 7:00 in times square. lottery's closest thing to a lucky charm, yolanda vega -- >> welcome to "good morning america's

i'm ryan owens, for "nightline," in dallas. >> be afraid. be very afraid. our thanks to ryan. >>> and just ahead, from george clooney to the guy behind "kony 2012," why today was a bizarre day to remember. what happened? [ male announcer ] what if you had thermal night-vision goggles, like in a special ops mission? you'd spot movement, gather intelligence with minimal collateral damage. but rather than neutralizing enemies in their sleep, you'd be targeting stocks to trade. well, that's what trade architect's heat maps do. they make you a trading assassin. trade architect. td ameritrade's empowering, web-based trading platform. trade commission-free for 60 days, and we'll throw in up to $600 when you open an account. trade commission-free for 60 days, lastin florida we hadulf's best tomore sun tans...years. in alabama we had more beautiful blooms... in mississippi we had more good times... in louisiana we had more fun on the water. last season we broke all kinds of records down here on the gulf. more people more good times. this year we're out to do even bet

it's every bit as big as abc's ryan owens finds out. >> reporter: this is a hog hunt.t night, with military-grade equipment. thermal cameras, night scopes, a vehicle designed for u.s. special forces. our guides are the owners of the texas-based company, tactical hog control. >> we're the orkin men of the rangeland. we don't wear the goofy, white hats. >> reporter: true. but they do wear night-vision goggles and carry high-powered rifles, with silences. jed and clark may call themselves exterminators. but they are high-tech hunters. their prey is nocturnal, with a good sense of hearing. so, they use the best the military has to offer. >> if you had an infestation of rats and roaches in your home, you're going to call somebody to wipe them out. so, the landowners are having the same battle. just on a different scale. >> reporter: texas has an estimated 2.6 million farrell hogs. and they reproduce so fast, they put rabbits to shame. jed and clark call them 300-pound rats. >> there's no predators, other than clark and i. >> reporter: hogs cause an estimated $52 million dam

ryan owens, abc news, dallas. >> incredible pictures today. thank you. >>> and when we come back here on the broadcast here tonight, have any of you ever used a gps device to get to where you're going? this family did. and look where they ended up. what happened and where was this? this is $100,000. we asked total strangers to watch it for us. thank you so much, i appreciate it, i'll be right back. they didn't take a dime. how much in fees does your bank take to watch your money ? if your bank takes more money than a stranger, you need an ally. ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense. why you fell in love with her in the first place. and why you still feel the same. but your erectile dysfunction -- that could be a question of blood flow. cialis for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment's right. you can be more confident in your ability to be ready. and the same cialis is the only daily ed tablet approved to treat ed and symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently or urgently. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions an

people every year, being able to keep a pet around after death is no laughing matter at all as ryan owensscovered in romance, arkansas. >> well, here she rests. >> that is britney. >> reporter: well, that was britney. the yorkie died last year with you mary kaufman sleeps next to her dog every night. >> i pet her. she always slept in my bedroom. >> reporter: for this arkansas woman, pictures of her companion was not enough so she had britney stuffed and freeze died. the man who prezefshed britney is daniel roth, owner of extreme tax determineny. and it's out of a shed in his yard in romance, arkansas. >> it's not just a pet anymore. it's your family. and always the customers, the peace and joy it brings in their tlif have a cat or dog back, it's worth it. >> he has freeze driers packed with dogs across the current. it costs about $500 to $8700 to have the dog stuffed can cotton and died. >> the armed are crossed on that one. >> nearly every day, the u.p.s. man brings a package. this day, it's a championship roost intera letter from the high school student who owns it. >> mr. man, the roos

i'm ryan owens for "nightline" in monroe, louisiana. >> good for them. >>> tonight a political note,ey emerged as the winner of the republican primary, bringing him one step closer to the nomination. check in with "good morning america" tomorrow for

ryan owens has more. >> reporter: good morning, josh.r lives on the line all of the time. for one houston firefighter, well, police say the real danger to him was right under his own roof. they appeared to be the picture of happiness. on the family's blog, britney martinez says how excited she is to be renewing her vows. what a guy. a guy prosecutors say she wanted dead. the 24-year-old emt is accused of soliciting murder. >> it's a bizarre scenario. and we're going to delve into it. talk to as many witnesses as we can. >> reporter: starting no doubt with this man. the prosecution's star witness. accusing to documents, stephen rowland is the man martinez allegedly gave $1,000. he was her friend and manager at this restaurant where the family often dined. he said he told her he would that commit murder but knew someone two would. he called the cops. he showed the police the $1,000 in cash. and a few other things she gave him. a description of the car, a copy of the work schedule, family picture to make sure the hit man got the right guy.

matter what she says. >> i think he's a fly-by-night kid. >> reporter: "good morning america," ryan owensnews, dallas. >> i love it. making oodles of money. >> come on, biebs, not hard to say you're sorry on that one. >>> coming up, the unbelievably shocking details of the murder mystery with the vermont teacher. she vanished from her car, her child was there. police are now revealing the chilling twist. >>> and lottery fever. is there a secret to winning half a billion dollars? we have two past winners here live sharing their tips. >>> also, what is alicia silverstone doing that is causing so much controversy? watch the rest of that tape. you can part a crowd, without saying a word. you have yet to master the quiet sneeze. you stash tissues like a squirrel stashes nuts. well, muddlers, muddle no more. try zyrtec®. it gives you powerful allergy relief. and zyrtec® is different than claritin® because zyrtec® starts working at hour 1 on the first day you take it. claritin® doesn't start working until hour 3. zyrtec®. love the air. claritin® doesn't start working until hour 3. hi. we're spre

abc's ryan owens is among the hopeful this morning in dallas, texas. good morning, ryan. >> reporter: good morning to you. mathematicians who are smarter than me someone will win tonight. because so many people are playing, we basically exhausted all of the possible number combinations. speaking of that, look at that, as early as it is. here in dallas, there's always a line of folks. they are lining up, even though, take a look up there. your odds of winning, well, they're about the same as that guy's. lines snaking around stores from coast to coast. on eye-popping 400 million tickets sold in just 48 hours. president obama already has a pretty nice house, which may explain why he's one of few americans not putting down a buck for a shot at the half billion. >> i'm going to run out and buy one. >> washington wizards chris singleton bought more than one, he thinks that he's a slam dunk to win after spending $10,000 on tickets. cashiers at this new york store, estimated they said good luck, 14,000 times yesterday to customers with some big dreams. >> i'd b

ryan owens is in texas with the latest. good morning, ryan. >> reporter: good morning, george.ime is down. it doesn't feel that way for a lot of home owners. increasingly, we can hear their fear. >> what is your emergency? >> reporter: it sounds like a nightmare. it's all too real. >> i woke up to him in our room. >> reporter: a terrified utah woman calls 911. the intruder is demanding money from her husband as the couple's three young children sleep nearby. >> we got robbed. we were cooperating with the guy. hi husband was foonlly able to get to his gun and he shot him. >> reporter: a north carolina woman hears a man breaking in and grabs her gun. >> oh! >> ma'am, did you shoot again? >> yes, he's coming at me. >> reporter: both intruders were killed. both in just the last few days. the latest in what seems to be a spate of home owners willing to kill to protect their families. >> i have two guns in my hand. sit okay to shoot him as he comes in the door? >> as the economy gets worse, crime gets higher. those statistics vary around the country. i would be surprised if you didn'

ryan owens is among the hopeful in dallas, texas. >> reporter: good morning to you. mathematicians who are smarter than me wisomeone will win tonight. that we have exhausted all of the number combinations. as it early as it in dallas, there's a line of folks, they're lining up even though -- take a look up there, your odds of winning is about the same as that guy's. lines snaking around stores from coast to coast. on eye-popping 400 million tickets sold in just 48 hours. president obama already has a pretty nice house, which may americans not putting down a buck for a shot at the half billion. >> washington wizards chris singleton bought more than one, he thinks that he's a slam dunk to win after spending $10,000 on tickets. cash yers at this new york store, estimated they said good luck, 14,000 times to customers with some big dreams. in california, lottery officials put a cheat sheet of which stores have sold the most winning tickets. they were packed all night. >> it's going to happen on friday, hopefully, hopefully it comes out of the state of california. >> repo

and abc's ryan owens joins us now from mexico city with the very latest. good morning to you, ron. >> good morning to you, josh. malia, the obamas' oldest daughter, is here in mexico on a school trip. the white house says she is just fine. but this very powerful quake rattled a lot of nerves here, especially in mexico city. one of the most densely populated urban areas on planet earth. ten aftershocks have hit this region of more than 20 million people. already rattled by tuesday's massive tremor. which sent hundreds of thousands running into the streets. >> translator: it sounded like thunder. we tried to stay calm and not trample each other. >> reporter: watch as this surveillance video shows the water in a resort pool violently thrashing and spilling over the sides. the epicenter of the 7.4 quake was about 115 miles outside of the popular beach resort of acapulco. but millions felt it here in mexico's capital, more than four hours away. it was the strongest quake here felt since the big one in 1985, when more than 10,000 died. >> translator: i felt a su

ryan owens has more. >> reporter: good morning, josh.ut their lives on the line all of the time. but police say for one houston firefighter, the real danger to his life was right under his own roof. they appeared to be the picture of happiness. on the family's blog, brittany martinez says how excited she is to renew her vows to her firefighter husband, adrian. what a guy, she posted. a guy, prosecutors say, she wanted dead. 249-year-old emt is charged with solicitation of murder. accused of hiring a hitman to kill her husband. attorneys say she's sad and scared to death. >> it's a bizarre scenario. and we're going to delve into it. talk to as many witnesses as we can. >> reporter: starting no doubt with this man. the prosecution's star witness. according to court document steven roland, a boxer and mixed martial artist she's pictures from his facebook page is the man martinez allegedly gave $1,000. he was her friend and manager at this restaurant where the family often dined. he said he told her he wouldn't rowland said he told miss mart