this is a picture of steven briel last year. he was a college student at the university of mary washington. his roommate and fellow student was grace mann. according to the defense, briel was a paranoid schizophrenic who believed mann and his other remains wanted to kill him. he strangled her and tied her up. what was in dispute was his mental state. grace mann's gave a very emotional testimony to try to get a long sentence for briel. at one point, he talked about how in court there was an audiotape played of a phone call steven briel made to his family. thomas mann said, when they were talking about books and movies and laughing, my daughter was in a box in the ground, rotting. his emotional testimony may have influenced the jury. they did recommend a life sentence. attorneys on both sides spoke outside the courthouse. we begin with the attorney who prosecuted the case. >> given the brutality of this case, it was a very just sentence. >> this tragedy has unfolded. the family is still shocked, confused, and perplexed. but when yo

forensic psychiatrist eileen ryan spent 12-1/2 hours evaluating steven briel and came to the conclusion he did not understand the consequences of his actions when he killed his roommate and fellow mary washington student grace mann in april of 2015. dr. ryan testifying that briel is schizophrenic and leading up to the murder his delusion and paranoia intensified. according to ryan, briel felt a group called "the organization" was trying to kill him and his three female roommates, especially grace mann were planning his murder. grace is the one that is out to kill me, he told ryan. on the day of the murder, while home alone with grace, briel said to her "why are you trying to kill me?" and grace loudly responded in disbelief and he pushed her, ultimately leading to him stranglal and killing man -- strangling and killing grace mann. dr. ryan believed he knew the difference between right and wrong but he believes he was incas pating her to keep himself from being killed. this afternoon we heard doctor for the prosecution countering the claims of dr. ryan. he believes that steven briel was

the trial began for steven briel. jeff goldberg stepped out of the courtroom and heard opening statements inside. jeff, fill us in. jeff: leon, an unexpected argument in defense in the opening statements. i want to paint a picture of what is going on inside the courtroom. thomas and melissa mann, the parents of grace mann holding one another inside the courtroom in steven briel look i ahead with a blank look on his face. he said he did kill grace mann. they are not arguing that to be the case but they are saying he is not guilty by reason of insanity. steven briel's family avoids news cameras outside court. inside his attorneys present a specific and a bizarre explanation why he killed 20-year-old mary washington student grace mann in april of 2015. they say he was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and on the day of the murder he felt he was threatened by evil forces. the defense said that he texted his mother and say a hail mary and he responded "hail mary full of grace." defense attorneys claim after the text br

a jury found steven briel guilty of first-degree murder, strangulation and abduction in grace mann's h. police say he strangled her at their off campus home last year. the defense tried to prove briel was insane. the jury deliberated for three hours. prosecutors say they hope a guilty verdict can provide the mann family with some closure. >> i certainly hope that they find some closure from the verdict and the community can begin to heal, as well. >> the jury recommended bleriele sentenced to life plus 11 years. he will be sentenced in july. >>> metro's general manager could make an announcement about major fixes as soon as tomorrow. paul wiedefeld 4has previously said that fixing maintenance issues could change service. parts of the track in between stations may have to shut down and riders would have to take shuttle buses around those closures. another option may be to open metro later on weekends or close it earlier. >>> and we're following a developing situation across alberta canada. these wildfires that are just stretching through that area. some 1800 buildings and homes have al

a jury found steven briel guilty of killing grace mann. defense attorneys tried to convince the jury that briel was insane. right before dlb brapeliberatio prosecutors played a jailhouse phone call re laughing. >> they are saying that he suffers from schizophrenia and then of course he's having a perfectly normal phone call with his family. it did affect the men quite a bit. >> after the conviction, mann's parents delivered impact statements explaining their loss. the judge will formally sentence briel in july. >>> i'm megan mcgrath live in northwest washington where a teacher's protest is expected to take place later on this morning. the d.c. teachers union in the process of negotiating a new contract. not happy with the way those negotiations are going with the offer that has been made. and so a protest march is scheduled for later on this morning with three upper northwest schools participating. this is going to happen from 7:00 a.m. until 8:00. teachers from wilson high, murch middle and deal elementary will be marching along nebraska t

steven briel is accused of killing his housemate and fellow student grace mann. the decision before the jury is he guilty by reason of insanity or not guilty. julie carey joins us live from the courthouse in fredericksburg with some pivotal final testimony today. >> reporter: some of the most powerful evidence was presented on this final day of testimony with the prosecution dropping somewhat of a bombshell as they closed out their case. they played a jailhouse phone call between steven briel and his parents recorded just two weeks after grace mann died. he's chatting and joking with his parents about the books he's reading and whether or not they'll have tacos in the jail on sicinco de mayo. he thought it was an act of self-defense to keep the well-known student activist from killing him. her finding that briel was insane at the time of the crime. my opinion is he did not understand the nature, character, and consequences of his actions. she also testified that she believes briel suffers from schizophrenia that led to intense delusions the weeks before the murde

e previously conthrgh t distranwhat t start trying to convince jurors that steven briel was insane at the time he killed a university of matter washington student. briel goes on trial for the murder of grace mann. briel was mann's house mate. the trial is expected to last three days. >>> a developing story out of seattle where a handful of officers hurt are now recovering. this following a mayday protest. take a look at some of the video you see. you see officers using pepper spray to break up a crowd. many of the people were dressed in all black. people say the marchers threw rocks, bricks and as well as molotov cocktails. we know that at least nine people were arrested. that's the latest from desk. back to you. >>> it luncheon ely engulfed. no one was inside at the time. images from people close to the creep show the intense flames and smoke pouring out of the building. firefighters say the building which dates back to the 1850s is in danger of collapsing. >>> breaking news on the roads bottom of the beltway already seeing serious backups because of a crash there overnight. inner lo

labrivia jen kins saved a phone call just two weeks after he killed grace, and the phone call between steven briel and his parents lasted 15 minutes. the reminder that grace mann can't talk to her father anymore because she's in a box in the ground. >> peggy, thank you for your work tonight. >>> right now a popular fairfax county restaurant is shut down a a terrifying scene at the silver diner today after a car crashed into the building, burst into flames, and then people started to crammable to get out of the way. >> all of this around lunchtime. >> let's go right out to mola lenghi. he's live in tyson's corner tonight. >> four people were hospitalized in the chaotic scene. >> reporter: the silver diner is closed tonight, and you can see it's boarded up, the damaged area where the hummer plowed through the building again and again. >> reporter: in an instant they went from hungry customers to bystanders, and a few of them to heroes. >> i don't know, just really crazy. >> reporter: witness janie watkins says it barreled through the entrance, hitting three pedestrians along the way. one pedestrian

jury deliberations began in the hour in the trial of steven briel. he is accused of killing his roommate grace mann. earlier today a psychiatrist testified that briel was insane and convinced that mann was trying to kill him. he is pleading not guilty by reason of insanity. maureen: the first drink was to prove the water is safe. the second was to stop -- [inaudible] president obama took sips of filtered tap water in flint, michigan. president obama: i really did need a glass of water. this is not a stunt. maureen: state and local leaders updated the president on the efforts to clean up the lead in flint water supply. the president also urged parents to have their children health monitored and said more work is needed to replace aging pipes in flint and around the country. next at 6:00, the steps metro is taking to ensure safety after a scathing report on a woman's death. rain. folks, there is more on the way. when we will see sunlight and for how long ahead. guess which airline added more nonstop straight-shot flights hey, d.c., than any other out o

. >>> right now, the jury in the grace mann murder trial is deliberating the killer, steven briel. he admitted to killing mann last year but pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. a uva psychiatrist diagnosed him as paranoid schizophrenia. the prosecution called the insanity defense merely an excuse. >>> this video shows a ballow high school student cursing and threatening a teacher. the teacher remained calm. reaction from southeast washington. >> reporter: many students here at ballew have seen this video. it made the rounds on twitter and facebook. a lot say the punishment does not go far enough. >> that's disrespectful. >> reporter: a high school student nose to nose with a long time substitute teacher, calling him a snitch and threatening to beat him up. >> what do you think should have happened to him? >> he got suspended. >> suspended at least. >> reporter: instead he's not going to prom. they say the student was having a, quote, bad day and is now remorseful. >> not simply letting them miss prom. >> are teachers safe at our area high schools? >> they're absolutely safe.

the trial of steven briel began today and peggy fox is covering the trial. hi, peggy. >> it is a bizarre case. the defense says that steven vander briel is a schizophrenic that thought there was a goeble organization divided by male and female and he thought he the defense attorney said the night before he killed grace mann, he called his mother and was rambling and confused and his mother told him to calm down and say some hail marys. he was catholic and knew how to say them and he looked it up and texted his mom since, hail mary, full of grace. the defense says his mom was trying to tell him that grace, his roommate was going to kill him and that's why he did it. the prosecutor says that is ludicrous, he hired apsychiatrist he was insane. >> in black suit and glasses sits motionless. charged with first-degree murder and strangulation and abduction in the murder of grace mann. they did not have a relationship. they did shar on april 17th last year mann left campus for a brief stop at her moment at 2:00 p.m. and at 3 her roommates were surprised to find she w

. >>> today attorneys will start trying to convince jurors that steven briel was insane at the time police say he killed a university of mary washington student. briel goes on trial today for the murder of grace mann back in april of 2015. briel was mann's house mate. look for frequent updates from northern virginia bureau chief juca montgomery county police says95 unnted sexual advances. both lived at the randolph village apartment. dyson is also accused of stealing the victim's credit card and charging thousands of dollars on the cards. >>> this morning investigators are trying to figure out how a man found in tripps run died. fairfax county police responded to the scene after someone reported a body in the creek sunday more than. t morning. t >>> today families in today is piscataway process of demolishing six moing. it'seccause for the rime ame more can cruise company is saili from the u.s. cuba. the carnival crew ship will dock in havana today and passengers are on to visit two other cities in cuba. there are several people on board that say they were born in cuba and call this journe

defense attorneys for steven briel believe he strangled her during a paranoid delusion. they want jurors to find him not guilty by reason of insanity. prosecutors say briel changed his clothes and shaved his face after the murder arguing those are not the actions of an insane person. >>> a sprinkler system saved the lives of half a dozen patients at a laurel assisted living facility. prince george's county fire officials say one of the caregivers was cooking when the fire started at the abundant love home in laurel. the sprinkler system activated and then helped put out the flames before firefighters arrived. fire officials say without that sprinkler, the situation could have been much worse. it will be weeks before the patients can return because the facility's license expired and the home must be brought up to code. >>> it looks like a political spec could impact elections today in dumfries, been political opponents if convict order petty larceny, foreman faces up to a year in jail and a $2500 fine. >>> and upset over an in-yacht response to request for homeless shelte

steven briel was found guilty. both were students at the university of mary washington.neys tried to convince the jury that briel was insane when he strangled mann at their off campus home. prosecutors played a jailhouse phone call where briel is laughing and sounding normal. >> they are saying that he suffers from schizophrenia and that of course he's having a perfectly normal phone call with his family. it did it affect the man quite a bit. >> after the conviction, th man parent s delivered statements. briel will be sentenced in july. >>> right now a state of emergency in alberta crews battle intense wildfires that have already torched more than 1,000 homes and other buildings. this is in the area of ft. mcmurray and it's forced some 80,000 people to flee. unseasonably hot temperatures combined with the dry conditions there have transformed what is the heart of canada's oil sand into a virtual tinderbox. we'll update the situation here from the live desk. >>> i'm megan mcgrath in northwest washington where a teachers protest is expected to take place later on this morn

after this picture e previously conthrgh t distranwhat t start trying to convince jurors that steven brielhe time he killed a university of matter washington student. briel goes on trial for the murder of grace mann. briel was mann's house mate. the trial is expected to last three days. >>> a developing story out of seattle where a handful of officers hurt are now recovering. this following a mayday protest. take a look at some of the video you see. you see officers using pepper spray to break up a crowd. many of the people were dressed in all black. people say the marchers threw rocks, bricks and as well as molotov cocktails. we know that at least nine people were arrested. that's the latest from

steven briel is accused of killing husbakill ing his housemate. he believed grace mann was part of a conspiracy to kill him. he thought mann was going to kill him and make it look like a suicide. >>> well, a new name is being added to a local memorial. first at 4, we'll tell you whose name and legacy will forever be remembered. >>> a turn in the investigati the nationwide tribute to t ♪ stand by me vo: for dominion, part of delivering affordable energy includes supporting those in our community who need help. our energyshare program does just that, assisting with bill pay and providing free, energy-saving upgrades. it's more than helping customers, it's helping neighbors. ♪ stand by me >>> all right. temperatures today lower than yesterday. no storms at all today, but we're trapped under the clouds again. look at the temperatures across the area. we're in the low 60s throughout just about everywhere. one thing that folks are a little surprised about is t up. we've had the rain to bring down the levels, but the 24-hour count still running high for

she testified she and another roommate first encountered steven briel drenched with sweat spre speaking very quickly. he said, grace and i got into an altercation. she hit me, so i had to defend myself. she bit me. what would you do if she weren't here anymore? i pulled the comforter off, testified alex, and grace was there with a plastic bag over her head. i pulled it off and screamed and ranro hearing from briel's defense team about a possible motive for the killing. briel at age 30 had returned to the mary washington campus in january to try to finish his degree. defense attorneys say briel was also beginning to show the signs of paranoid schizophrenia. he believed there was a global conspiracy. the night before the murder texting with his mother she told him to calm down and say some hail mary's. he texted back, so it's hail mary full of grace. he to his attorneys say he took that as a cue that grace was trying to kill him. briel did run, but not before first changing his clothes and shaving off some facial hair. his defense attorneys will ask jurors to find him not reason of insani

defense attorneys for steven briel believe he strangled her during a paranoid today loougs.nt jurors to find him not guilty by reason of insanity. prosecutors say briel changed his clothes and shaved his face after the murder arguing those are not the actions of an insane person. >>> an elderly man from virginia says he will wake up for the without the shadow of a false conviction. a judge exonerated paul gatling yesterday. attorneys say there was never any physical evidence linking him to the murder. >>> it is now 6:34. d.c. residents are taking advantage of a new program that rewards for you buying and installing security cameras. more than 200 people and businesses have already applied for the rebate of up to $750. you can an apply for the rebates for installing video surveillance in a home or business. one condition is agreeing to allow d.c. police to access the footage if needed. ward six council member charles allen came up with the idea. >> the video can be incredibly helpful to p.d. and the chief called it a force multiplier. p. >> i wanted every productiteti because

steven briel is accused of the strangulation. two had shared off campus housing with two other people. briel and his lawyers planned to use the insanity defense, but last week the judge denied their request. the trial is expected to last less than a week. >>> it's a huge week coming up for metro. the national transportation safety board is meeting on tuesday to determine the probable cause of that deadly smoke episode at l'enfant plaza. the findings could have major implications for metro because metro could be forced to fix critical parts of its infrastructure. faulty power cables, water issues have all been talked about as major factors that contributed. 61-year-old carol glover of alexandria died in that incident. >>> we have traffic alert to tell you about. some major streets. take a look. streets around freedom plaza, pennsylvania avenue between 12th and 14th as well as 13th street between e and pennsylvania all affected. streets will be back open between noon and 1:00 this afternoon. and it is certainly a soggy day to be ou

defense attorneys for steven briel believe he strangled her during a paranoid delusion. prosecutors say briel changed his clothes and shaved his face after the murder, arguing those are not the actions of apinsane person. >>> a sprinkler system saved the lives of half a dozen patients at a laurel assisted living facility when it went up in flames. fire broke out at the abundant love home in laurel. fire officials say one of the caregivers was cooking when the fire started. the sprinkler system activated and helped put out the flames before firefighters arrived. fire officials say without the sprinkler, the situation could have been much worse. it will be weeks before the facility's license expired and the home must be brought up to code. >>> what looks like a political spec could impact elections in dumfries, virginia. residents say the mayor stop one of the vice mayor's re-election signs on saturday. mayor foremap and the vice mayor have been political opponents. if convicted on petty larceny charges, foref foreman faces up year in jail and a $2500 fine. >>> and council

. >>> today the fredericksburg murder trial continues for steven briel. text messages proved the university of maryland washington student was insane when he strangled his housemate. he exchanged several text messages with his mother before and after the killing. briel's mother mary briel testified she had son killed his housemate. she also said her son believed his housemates were trying to kill him. >>> a shocking revolution about metro safety. the national transportation safety board says in the past metro routinely used trains full of passengers to root out smoke and fire issues. metro sent out a tweet yesterday saying that was not the case. the hearing held yesterday was primarily to release the official cause of the deadly smoke incident. a short circuit was not addressed because of lack of inspections. the manager says he has more challenges ahead. >> my first reaction is for the families and the victims. that's what i feel. clearly, again, it reinforces the challenges i'm up against. >> the ntsb says the only way to get metro back on track is to s

steven vander briel admits to strangling his house mates but his attorney says he is paranoid schizophrenic that says he was going to be sacrificed he thought. his mom told him to calm down and say hail marys and he responded so it is hail mary full of grace and he thought that she was trying to kill him and the prosecution says that is ludicrous. >>> jerry his sex convictions overturns. >>> and vowing to drink tap water. >>> we have hail in manassas and almost three inches, possible three inch diameter hail south to brentville and headed towards lake wood estates and clifton. we will talk about how long last through the evening. >>> during a flint, michigan governor rick schneider stopped in down a bar and drank tap water and filled up containers to bring back to the capital. >> he will ask to meet with president obama when he visit is flint on wednesday. >>> detroit teachers hit the picket line to protest the possibility that some will not get paid this summer. >> 94 of the 97 schools closed today because of the sick outs. the school district is estimated to run out of cash july 1st until

both of steven briel's testified yesterday about their son's increasingly strange behavior prior to that murder. at one point they said he believed his housemates were going to kill him and make it look like an accident. he's charged with killing fellow student grace man last year. the defense could rest today and the jury could begin deliberations as soon as tomorrow. >>> we're in the middle of national police week, and today two local police officers are being honored for the sacrifices they made to our communities. in montgomery county you may remembered suspected drunk driver hit officer noah late last year. the young officer later died from his injuries. earlier this morning law enforcement officials added officer liata's name to the memorial wall. and we're learning that detective wholeson's family will be at a service in his honor tonight. detective coalson died earlier this year after a fellow officer mistook him for a suspect in a shootout. his name will be added to a memorial plaque in marlboro. >>> new today, something that could help get you through that long line at the airp

. >>> well, top tmorrow a trial s to begin to a steven briel and his lawyers plan to usen insanity defenseied the request. the trial is expected it to last less than a puig. >>> time is 7:16. is this sth a huge week for metro. the national transportation safety board is meeting on tuesday to determine the probable cause of that deadly smoke episode at l'enfant plaza last year. findings could have major implications on metro because metro could be forced to fix critical parts of its infrastructure. poor communication and water be problems have all been talked about as major factors tahat contributed. carol glover died in that incident. >>> we have a traffic alert to tell you about this morning. d.c.'s race for hope 5 k is closing some major streets across the area today. today a look, streets around fleem plaza, pennsylvania avenue between 12th and 14th and as well as 13th between e and pennsylvania all shut down. the streets will be back open between noon and 1:00 this and as the caps continue their quest for the cup, you might have noticed people like the guy right next to me, he's been o

in our headlines today, the fredericksburg murder trial continues to steven briel, accused of killinger washington. starting to see light sprinkles developing northern loudoun county, northern maryland, out to the panhandle of west virginia. not expecting a lot of rain today, but a high chance that you will need the umbrella. highs today low to mid-60s, only low 60s tomorrow and friday with a very high chance for rain each and every day. into the weekend, pure sunshine, doesn't come back until next week. >>> coming up on midday oig, we'll take a look at how safe d.c. bus drivers are after yesterday's hijacking incident. midday begins is. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb. live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> don't get so aggressive! >> you know what? it's may 4th so may the fourth be with you! >> that's what she said. >> it's national "star wars" day. >> all right, chkylo ren's ligh saber. >> ladies, time to get on with the show. >> wow, that's zach.

at one point they said steven believed his housemates were going to kill him and make it look like an accident. briels charged with killing grace mann last year. the jury could begin deliberations as soon as tomorrow. >>> keep your car safe, that is the message from the sheriff's office in loudoun county. they are looking into a series of rim and tire thefts in the ashburn and broadlands areas. suvs, gmc pickup trucks and minivans with customized rims and oversized tires are targeted. so far there have been 11 reported thefts. park in a well-lit area and if possible install >>> today president obama will check federal response efforts to flint's water crisis. he'll give full remarks after touring the city. he also will meet with community members and residents during his visit. the city switched its water source to the flint river in 2014 which caused lead to seep into the drinking water. >>> 6:34, and work will continue to repair the turf on the national mall today. this is the final phase of the project. kristin wright is live on the mall now with more on how long this will all take. kristin? >> re