steve osunsami is in pensacola, florida. steve? >> terry, tonight investigators here have made yet another arrest in this case. they have arrested a man they believe they can tie to the scene of the crime, a person who they believe helped storm this couple's home. they have yet to explain all the events leading up to the killing. thursday night, the police arrive at the sprawling home of byrd and melanie billings to find a grisly murder. the couple shot several times in their bedroom. just hours before the murders, a school bus driver had dropped some of the children off after school. >> i let the kids off at 2:45 and mr. and ms. billings got them off the bus. they always dressed the kids really nice and sent them to school and she made sure they had nice things. >> the billings were known for their generosity in town and their love in kids. they were here at a benefit to raise awareness for kids with down syndrome. bud bills described how he and his wife live for their children's small successes. >> we don't expect miracles from t

take off again. >> reporter: steve osunsami, abc news, in the mississippi delta. >>> and when we come, a new meaning to the term "boarding >>> and when we come back, a new meaning to the term "boarding your pets." but even with calcium, vitamin d, and exercise, i still got osteoporosis. i never thought i could do more than stop my bone loss. then my doctor told me i could, with once-monthly boniva. boniva works with your body to help stop and reverse bone loss. studies show, after one yer on boniva,, nine out of ten women stopped nd reversed their bone loss., i know i did. severe kidney disease or can't sit or stand for at least one hour. follow dosing instructions carefully. stop taking boniva and tell your doctor if you have difficult r painful swallowing, chest pain or severe or .continuing heartburn,, as these may be signs of serious upper digestive problems. if jaw problems or severe bone, joint, and/or muscle pain develop, tell your doctor. i've got this one body, and this one life, so i wanted to stop my bone loss. but i did more. i reversed it with boniva. ask your doctor if b

here's steve osunsami. >> reporter: on talk radio in boston today. >> this is not a teachable moment. >> reporter: some callers refused to accept there was some take away, some national lesson on race that came to the arrest of teacher gates. >> the teachable moment was lost when the professor's mother didn't teach him a lesson that every responsible parent teaches their kids that is if you have an issue with a cop, it's yes, sir, nose, and you keep your mouth shut. >> reporter: at this black barber shop in atlanta, there are was a different take. >> the man who has the badge has the power. that's the big lesson. >> the lesson learned is, just do what the officer is asking you to do, and you live to see another day. >> reporter: both the president and attorney general have suggested the country could use more conversations about race, and the gates incident brings that. >> this, i think presents us with tt opportunity, and i hope the nation takes advantage of it. >> reporter: but the dialogue hasn't always been polite or pretty. in boston a police officer took sides in an e-mail. refe

steve osunsami has more now from prince cola, florida. >> reporter: florida police investigating the murder of bud and melley bianie billings have focusing on what they believe is the get-away vehicle. this red van. police, acting on a tip, found it stashed behind this shed in pensacola, several miles from the murder scene. the van, and three passengers, were captured on surveillance video at the billings' home, at the night of the murders. authorities are now interviewing at least two persons of interest connected to the van and possibly connected to the killings. >> they are not related by blood, marriage, as best as we can tell. no legal connections on that perspective. they are two individuals who know each other. >> reporter: the couple's murder has shocked residents across this community. they had 16 children, 12 of them were adopted and many of them had developmental disabilities. nine of those children, the very youngest, were home at the time. >> i think it's sad, because they were a couple giving service and now these children are going to be without parents. >> i don't kno

steve osunsami, abc news. >>> thousands turned out in today hattiesburg, mississippi, for the funeral of steve mcnair. mourners included mcnair's family and many from his hometown. many former teammates and opponents. mcnair died july 4th, shot in a murder/suicide. >>> we were keeping track, in a especially gruelling day in the tour de france. 110 miles, 3 mountains. after all of that pedaling, lance armstrong ended the day right where he began, third place. eight seconds behind the leader from italy. >>> when we come back here on the broadcast -- e thspital worker'addi wction on the drugs meant for the patients has put thousands at risk. our "closer look." ngs... the doctor said t could be alzheimer's. i didn't want to beleve it. but that night at the bowling alleyey. where's alice? oh, there she is! she seems little confused. that's when i knew... i couldn't wait. our doctor told us prescription aricept... is the only treatment " proven effective... for all stages of alzheimer's. studies showed aricept slows the progression of symptoms. it improves cognition... and slows the decline

here's steve osunsami. >> reporter: in sun flower county, mississippi in the hot and humid mississippia, time has stood still for 40 residents in this small community. they have no clean running water. >> it started at six months to nine months. >> reporter: and now it's been six years since the well dried up, since the county said they would help, since their congressman and every other elected official gave them the run around. >> they said the community is not large enough to bring water. but i can't understand that. we have to have water. >> reporter: janice davis has to drive five miles to her son's garden hose to fill her jugs of water and then haul them home. you do this twice a week? >> yes. i haven't had water so long, and i am just tired. but what can i do? >> reporter: across mississippi, residents get their water from water authorities that provide service to whom and where they please. isthap shows the different authorities, and the gaps where residents like those here have no access to water service. >> it's very odd that this day and time that you don't have clean runnin

steve osunsami, abc news, pensacola, florida. >>> president obama arrived back home in d.c.e early hours of the morning after summits in russia and italy. but it was a trip to ghana that provided the emotional cap on his trip there. our ron claiborne joins us from accra, the west african capital. good morning, ron. >> reporter: good morning, bill. from perspective here, the trip to africa was a huge success, not just for the symbolism of the first african-american u.s. president visiting africa, but for what he said, very forceful language, castigating african leaders for their failures and urging the african people to take control of their own destiny. president obama brought his family with him on his final poignant stop in ghana. the cape coast castle where african slaves were held awaiting shipment for the americas. >> i'll never forget the image of my two young daughters, the descendants of africans and african-americans, walking through those doors of no return, but then walking back those doors of return. >> reporter: earlier, the president delivered a forceful speech

steve osunsami, abc news, pensacola, florida. >> there are new reports this morning that in the dayster 9/11 the cia hatched a secret plot to assassinate osama bin laden and other top al qaeda leaders. the plan would have dispatched small paramilitary hit squads to go secretly into foreign countries. the plot was apparently kept secret even from congressional laakers on orders from vice president cheney. >> with the formalities out of the way, the sotomayor >> senator staked out their positions on sotomayor's nomination during opening statements on the first day of hearings yesterday. viviana hurtado is in washington with more on that. >> reporter: senators begin questioning sotomayor later this morning and there may be fireworks based on what was said during day one of the hearings. sonia sotomayor's weeks of preparation came down to this moment. >> i want to make one special note of thanks to my mother. >> reporter: her family behind her, sotomayor thanked them for supporting her dreams and each step before beg nominated to the supreme court. then the appeals court judge got right

steve osunsami, abc news, atlanta. >>> well, the president has announced his first lists of medal ofients. among the 16 people receiving the award is massachusetts senator ted kennedy, who is fighting brain cancer. sandra day o'connor, the supreme court's first female justice is also on the list. also is civil rights leader, joseph lowery. mr. obama said the recipients were selected for being agents of change. the medal of freedom is the highest civilian honor. >>> the cast of "seinfeld" will be back together again. enththsm."."ryoyour ee plalace louis-drdrfuf eld, , jujuli louiuis-s-eyfus, jon anmemeoghefoe wi a appear on "c" fifinale >>>>> popo benict t has s gned a cordrd recordrdelelfffficiaia s s i i wiwi a appeaea a wididerer audn, and nonot t jujustst t thosese the e cord w will opop at t the ovemember,r, j jusust inimime f chchrimamas. po w wldld have e a a cocord tha wowoululdrop.. >> i'l'll bebeitill, t too, yey. >>comimingng up,p, a b bull ono osose. itasasn't in spapain. was i iidaho. >>>>> > and sterhohoerer. a a seball s sererarar. the e lalaststmit tesestiting posisiti

steve osunsami, pensacola, florida. >>> next up korea, south korea said kim is suffering from pancreatic cancer and not expected to live more than five years. according to the report the diagnosis was made last summer. >>> and china, a dramatic rescue. three miners trapped in a flooded coal mine were found alive. they drank water that seeped down to them in crevass and chewed on coal to stay alive. they were sitting calmly with helmet lights still glowing 600 hours after it collapsed. >>> we hoped to brirng you a report from bob wood are druf who returned to iraq since he was injured. he was traveling with joint chiefs of staff but a sand storm blocked transmission of bob's report and we hope to bring it to you tomorrow. >>> still ahead on "world news" a maximum security prison turns out not 0 to be secure enough. how three dangerous inmates found a way out. >>> big hearted little girl loss was person the the week. response was generous. >>> throwing the first pitch before millions of fans.it 's a little bit harder than you think. you know why i sell tools? tools are uncomplicated? nothi

steve osunsami, abc news, atlanta. >>> well, the president has announced his first lists of medal of freedom recipients. among the 16 people receiving the award is massachusetts senator ted kennedy, who is fighting brain cancer. sandra day o'connor, the supreme court's first female justice is also on the list. also is civil rights leader, joseph lowery. mr. obama said the recipients were selected for being agents of change. the medal of freedom is the highest civilian honor. >>> the cast of "seinfeld" will be back together again. the reunion will take place on his hbo show, "curb your enthusiasm." jerry seinfeld, julia louis-dreyf louis-dreyfus, and jason alexander will appear on "curb," and come together for the finale. >>> pope benedict has signed a record deal. record label officials say it will appeal to a wider audience, and not just those who are religious. the record will drop at the end of november, just in time for christmas. >> who would have thought the pope would have a record that would drop. it will probably do pretty well. >> i'll bet it will, too, yeah. >>> coming up,

more, now our steve osunsami, who has been following the story from pensacola. >> reporter: as policetinue the investigation into the murder of bud and melanie billings, friends and relatives attended their wake thursday night. the woman now at the center of the investigation, 47-year-old pamela long wiggins, is out of jail this morning. she's posted bond and hired a lawyer. police are sharing new details in her alleged role in the murder. according to police reports, guns used during the robbery were stashed in this min minivan, which wiggins own. the safe that police believe the crew was after, was stored in billings' home. according to police reports, it was recovered in the backyard of a home that belongs to wiggins. >> the safe is being processed at this time. we have located several guns in various locations, one of which we believe is the murder weapon. >> reporter: the sheriff heading up the investigation told abc news there are still more shocking details to be revealed. >> if i had determined to write a book, i'd write about this. if i was a script writer, i'd write about th

steve osunsami, abc news, pensacola, florida. >> michael jackson's sister latoya is tell it would goloids her brother was murdered as spart of a conspiracy to steal his fortune. she claims she know who is is to blame for the superstar's death but she doesn't name names or after any evidence. >> space shuttle endeavor will try again to lift off today after thunderstorms forced nasa to scrub last night's launch, the fourth delay so far. light thing strikes postponed saturday's launch and more bad weather rolled in sunday. two previous launch attempts were scrubbed due to hydrogen leaks. lots of trouble getting off the ground. here's your monday forecast. thunderstorms and severe weather from washington state to the dakotas and down to colorado. large hail, gusty winds and possible tornadoes. thunderstorms from florida and carolinas and arkansas down the gulf coast. >> 102 in dallas, 91 in miami. 80 in boston, 83 in new york. 78 in boise, and 95 in sacramento. >> it was a big crackdown in southern california in more ways than one. >> people lined up and unzipped for the annual moon over

as steve osunsami reports, it depends on who you ask. >> reporter: on talk radio in boston, some callers to accept that there is some take away, some national lesson on race that came from the arrest of professor gates. >> the teachable moment was lost when the professor's mother didn't teach him the lesson thlt every responsible parent teaches their kid. that is if you have an issue with a cop, it's yes, sir, no, sir and you keep your damn mouth shut. >> reporter: but at this black barber shop in atlanta, there was a different take. >> the big lesson, the man who has the badge has the power. that's the big lesson. >> the lesson learned is just do what the officers ask to you do and you live to see another day. >> reporter: both the president and attorney general have suggested the country could use more conversations about race and the gates incident brings that. >> this i think presents us with that opportunity and i hope the nation takes advantage of it. >> reporter: but the dialogue hasn't always been polite or pretty. in boston a police officer took sides in an e-mail, referred to g

let's begin with the late northwest the investigation, with abc's steve osunsami, who is in pensacola, florida. good morning, steve. >> reporter: good morning, robin. the local woman police arrested was not at the scene of the crime. but police believe she certainly had something to do with it. he's a mysterious figure in this case. a businesswoman, into real estate. >> we are taking into custody, miss pam ela wiggins. >> reporter: wiggins, is the land lard and family friend of leonard gonzalez jr., the crew's organizer. she was found on a yacht in alabama. this is her estranged husband. he says she's swimming in unexplained money. >> she liked to boast a lot about her power or her position in society. >> reporter: she has nearly a dozen homes in three states. a rolls royce, a shopping mall for antiques, a yacht and more. he says she's a strong, smart woman. and he wouldn't put anything past her. >> she knew some people that, i guess you could say, goodfellas. henchmen that she told me about. >> reporter: federal law enforcement sources say that during interviews with the seven men ar

and steve osunsami has the latest for us from pensacola. good morning, steve. >> reporter: good morning, robin. police believe the men may have trained together for as long as 30 days. they had a plan in place to storm the billings' home. and this morning, we're now hearing from the man police believe they have put the team together. leonard gonzalez jr., the alleged organizer, appeared before a judge tuesday. >> there is no hard evidence that links me to the scene of the crimes that occurred. >> reporter: the billings family watched, as he held himself up as a pillar of their community. >> 20,000 local children. and abduction awareness prevention. and a few weeks ago, recently -- service award. >> reporter: police arrested two teenagers tuesday and charged them with murder. 19-year-old frederick thornton. and 16-year-old rakeem florence, who will be charged as an adult. >> seven individuals are currently in custody, related to the murders of byrd and melanie billings. >> reporter: most of the crew had criminal records. one had killed a man.

we have steve osunsami in pensacola, florida. good morning, steve. what do we know?> reporter: good morning, chris. it has been quite a busy night and we're still piecing together the story. investigators tell us that the three arrests they've made are thanks to one big break in the case. the surveillance video that came from the couple's home. the video led police to the accused killers. and early this morning residents got their first look at them. it appears this was a home invasion and burglary that ended in murder. in the video there were three shadowy figures seen entering and leaving the home. off camera bud and melanie billings, the parents of those special needs children, were being killed in their bedroom. the red van seen here was found near a shed across town. it led authorities to this man, 56-year-old leonard gonzalez sr. according to police reports, he was the getaway driver. for now they've accused him of tampering with evidence. >> he was covering damage and painting the van in an attempt again to disguise the van from the video that was released to

>> we go to steve osunsami in sense cola, tracking the latest. >> reporter: police in pensacola have yet to fully explain the events leading up to the killings. but they're making their arrests, their fourth last night. and this man was arrested during a routine traffic stop. >> we have another man in custody. >> reporter: the sheriff came out announcing another arrest. gary lamont sumner jr. they say he was part of a crew of six to eight men who stormed the billings home. police say they can identify sumner in surveillance videos. >> he was arrested yesterday afternoon, on a vehicle stop. and he was placed under arrest on a license violation. >> reporter: police won't say which of the men was the mastermind. but a good deal of focus is on this man, 35-year-old leonard gonzalez jr., who is charged with murder. he's a certified black belt. and he's seen here in 2007, teaching kids to defend themselves against sexual predators. for now, police say the only motive is robbery. the billings lived in a large, es pensive home. but most of it was specially built for the children with special