now in america this morning. guilty on all counts. what's next for the once prominent soutor acattrona nliow a convicted murderer alex murdoch , one of the jurors explains how they reached the verdict so quickly. video coming in showing the damage from reported tornadoes hitting the south overnight, significant snow set to hit the midwest this morning and in the west, growing desperation to get food and medicine after seven ft of snow leaves roads impassable. outrage in ohio symptoms. they shouldn't be displacedndft that toxic tran derailment one month ago and what the rail company has now agedrseas. hundreds of schoolgirls are apparently poisoned by gas. what u. s

officials are saying honeymoon nightmare. the couple who ss during a snorkeling tour? and later a special play for the. leads to a special moment in college basketball hug for mom in the stands. from new york. this is america this morning. good morning, everyone . i'm andrea from g, lionel moise. andrew and rhiannon are off. we begin this morning with the verdict in the alec murdoch trial guilty on all counts in the killing of his wife and sonm and may face life in prison. prosecutors said murdoch's motive was to cover up his financial crimes and gnai msyor ngmp, many legal experts are surprised just how quickly the jury reached its decision.ns this iheadederdict.y

guilty. south carolina jury convicting the disgraced attorney of murdering his wife, maggie, and son, paul. it doesn't matter who your family is. it doesn't matter how much money you have. how prominent you are. if you do wrong if you break the law, if you murder justice will be done in south carolina, murdoch appearing emotionless as the unanimous verdict was read his surviving son, busterwho testified in support of s father, covering his face. the seven men and five women on the jury taking less than three hours to reach the verdict after listening to 24 days of testimony, including from murdoch himself, take this gun or any gun like it. and blow your son brains out on june 7th or any day or any time. no i did not. murdoch emotional at times

, trying to trying to tend to maggot. and apologetic defrauding his clients can say i stole money that wasn't mine. and i shouldn't have done it. in their closing argument, the defense asked jurors not to focus on murdoch's other alleged crimes state in this case has gone to lengths trying to do a slight of hand. convinced you of this show you that and with without. that you have guilt without showing evidence again. but the prosecution than reminded the jury about murdoch's history of deception, including when he admitted on the stand that he lied to police about being at the family's kennels just minutes before the murders, alexander. it was live in line and line and line, and legal analysts say those lies helped outweigh the lack of physical evidence. in the prosecution's case,

circumstantial evidence is still as good as direct evidence, and i think in this particular case when we look at the facts, we look at the fact that he was there minutes before the jury ultimately agreed one juror saying that all of the jurors were talking and after 45 minutes, they had all the deliberating figured out, saying quote the evidence was clear. so we'll murdoch appeal. more of our coverage and analysis of the verdict coming up in less than 15 minutes and later we'll bring you live coverage of this morning sentencing hearing at 9 30 eastern possible tornadoes have left behind a trail of damage in two states, powerful winds tearing apart this gas station in shreveport, louisiana . damage has also been reported on the shreveport campus of l s u and in texas. more than 300,000 power outages have been reported an entire block going dark and dallas as a tornado watch was issued last night. multiple homes are damaged in hopkins county. this comes as people around chicago and

detroit brace for up to six inches of snow today. in the meantime, rescue efforts are still underway on the west coast after several feet of snow. this morning. the dire need for basic essentials is growing in the mountain communities east of los angeles, where back to back storms dumped up to seven ft of snow. it blew the side off of it . some areas of san bernardino county have been cut off for 10 days, deputies and firefighters were seen preparing a helicopter to deliver ready to eat meals known as m. r. e s in the military in crestline, the communities only grocery store is badly damaged the roof collapsing under the weight of the snow pile. several feet high . the family of goodwin's is the heart of this community. the fact i mean i'm tearing up now. it's sad and share it says someone in her househo. but theo get it. he was unprepared only because he had just moved here and we, my husband. i have

plenty of medication. he does not use a heart medication. he needs concern. also growing about what happens to all of that snow in the coming months. will it melt steadily replenishing water reserves or will warm temperatures and other weather events cause rapid evaporation and flooding? either way, experts say one good season of rain and snow cannot make up for years of drought. really affecting so many people in emergency was declared in 13, california counties and more plows are being sent to clear the roads. we'll check today's forecast in just a few minutes. outrage over the toxic train derailment in ohio one month ago today, residents at a town hall meeting last night made it clear they're not satisfied with the answers. they're getting about the illnesses dave experienced since the crash. abc is derek dennis has more in east palestine, ohio. we're all scared. neighbors not holding back confronting norfolk southern representatives over the toxic train derailment that upended their lives. my

children. it's not safe for sirf faster. people that have symptoms. they shouldn't be dismissed. officials with the rail company and the epa in the hot seat the mayor at times playing referee sex ooh, i e p a announcing it will now require norfolk southern to test for dioxins, cancer causing chemicals residents fear could be present after the controlled burn of those derailed cars don't have nowhere to go. some don't have the means. my family of five living in a one bedroom right now. mother's house, all of us on a blood cancers. you know? because i'm not stupid, despite officials declaring the water and air safe, neighbors say they're still experiencing headaches, stomach issues and coughing something we asked for, sir. are you backing you by the

grace of god, please. people policy yes amid calls for new rail safety measures. norfolk southern has now agreed to a request from transportation secretary pete buddha judge to join the so called close call reporting system, which allows employees to confidentially report safety concerns something the company says its previously done on its own. as for the investigation, officials are now looking into whether some oprtin the railcars melted contributi. andrea lionel derek, thank you turning now to washington controversial congressman jorge santos, who admits making up much of his life story now facing a formal ethics investigation, and he is now responding abc s faith bubi is here with more faith. good morning. good morning to you. lionel the house ethics committee has voted unanimously to investigate. santos subcommittee was also formed, we whether santos lied to the house

in his disclosure statements and accusations of campaign finance violations. report last month claimed santos had $365,000 in unexplained spending. now authorities are also investigating whether santos committed any crimes after he was accused of lying about his education, work, experience, financial status and more, and santos says he does plan to fully cooperate with the committee's investigation, but he won't comment any further. andrea alright, faith, thank you. the white house says it's deeply concerned about what appears to be the deliberate poisoning of schoolgirls in iran . hundreds of girls have been sickened by toxic fumes at 30 schools. iran's president has launched an investigation. there is no major opposition to women's education in iran, but protests have gripped the country since a woman died in police custody last year. time now for a look at your friday forecast. winter storm is going to give us

major travel headaches through today and tonight. chicago to detroit, you're gonna get some wet snow here and some wind as well. there'll be some thunderstorms in the ohio valley southward. it's going to be a big mess out there. here's the snowfall forecast through friday night into saturday morning chicago to detroit. about six inches of wet snow could be some power outages with strong winds tyotucld even see ae few thunderstorms through tonight. accuweather meteorologist kevin costner. still ahead, caught on camera car crash causes a building to collapse also ahead, the college football superstar charged with racing in a fatal crash, the victim's girlfriend, now speaking now and honeymoon nightmare, the couple who says they were abandoned at sea during a snorkeling tour.

dumbfounded 2020 tonight on abc. a wild police chase in baltimore , stolen car hit and killed a pedestrian slammed head on into another car and rammed into a vacant store. look here, the building collapsing. several people were injured the driver police were chasing was arrested. we're learning more this morning about the case against the top nfl prospect charged with racing in a fatal crash after celebrating the college football national championship. we're now hearing from the victim's girlfriend. former university of georgia football star jalen carter is back at the nfl combine watching a warmup for scouts and teams the day before his return, carter was arrested on misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and racing in connection with a deadly crash in january. the crash was the night of the georaooal teamsarad after winning the national championship shortly after carter's suv sped out of this

camera's view, the other suv crashed, killing the driver, chandler lacroix, a recruiter for the team, toxicology reports show her blood alcohol level was more than twice. the legal limit also killed lacroix's passenger and carter's teammate, devin will attack that's two lives that you know so many people loved and so many people care about willox girlfriend now speaking to good morning america , saying he was more than a football player, he was a 20 year old boy man who had such a life in front of him and he eves good in this world. i'm not going to say if i think that someone should be blamed. i just think that you know, we really need to focus on who he was as a person and the impact he left on those around him. carter left the scene of the crash for more than an hour before returning to talk to police when, according to the atlanta journal constitution, he provided shifting accounts of the incident to investigators and a statement, carter says, when all the facts are known, i will be fully exonerated. the maximum

penalty for a misdemeanor in georgia is one year in jail. carter is still expected to be a top pick in the nfl draft. but california couple is suing a snorkeling company in hawaii, claiming the tour guide abandoned them at sea on their honeymoon. the couple says they were snorkeling. when the waves picked up. they tried to swim back to the boat, but it was already returning to shore. the company says. no one realized they were missing. the couple had to swim 20 minutes to a deserted shore line and then get help. they'll be describing their ordeal later on. good morning, america terrifying. well coming up. we return to the verdict in the alex murdoch case. we'll take a closer look at where the defense went wrong and thecirualvi ede type 2 diabetes? discover the ozempic® tri-ne. in my ozempic® tri-zone, i lowered my a1c, cv risk, and lost some weight. studies, the reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. ozempic® lowers the risk of major cardiovascular events such as stroke, heart attack, or death in adults

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less than three hours to find him guilty on all counts. so where did the defense go wrong and what evidence was most convincing to the jury? i spoke earlier with legal analyst brian buck meyer. brian buck meyer. thank you so much for joining us this morning. a lot of questions. i want to get right to it. it took the jury just under three hours to reach this verdict. are you surprised with how quickly that verdict came in, especially after how long? this case has been going on extremely surprised. i would have better this case with a gone into deliberations to monday, potentially even tuesday , just because of the sheer volume of evidence that the jury had to go through. speaking of that evidence, a lot of evidence was presented. in the case. what do you think was the most compelling evidence against alex murdoch? and the most compelling evidence was a combination of not just that snapchat video that placestle a the scene of the murders just minutes before they occurred, but also his lies associated with it and his explanation. it

didn't hold water. i think for the jury what ultimately led to his conviction. interesting also that they decided for him to take the stand. do you think that backfired so cruel defendants? it's ultimately their decision as to whether or not they testify, and i think alex pride kind of gone away. in testifying. i think it helped in some degree, but i think it also hurt in many ways for the jury to see him caught in so many lives and see how easily he did it on the stand, but also in the interrogation videos. now a lot of the evidence in the case, of course, was circumstantial. there was no murder, weapon or clothing ever found outside of the jury, actually visiting that crime scene. do you think that they overlooked this? i don't know the overlooked it. i think what the prosecution data was a very strong circumstantial evidence case because don't forget they don't have to prove beyond every doubt just beyond any reasonable doubt, and they closed off any pathways that the defense tried to make to create reasonable doubt in this case,

and even though they had a lot of physical evidence missing, the circumstantial evidence seemed to make up for it. what about the video of him in the car? apparently saying i did him so bad. it's just so bad. did it so bad. how do you think the jury took those words when they heard that? yeah i think during the trial there is some context as to what he said. and what he didn't say many witnesses, even his own son coming up and his brother saying no, this is what he meant. this is what you're saying. i don't think ultimately that was a decision. i think he did, in fact, say they but this still, the evidence around this case pointed towards guilty. i think they decided on other issues. not on this. sentencing is scheduled for later this morning. how do you think the judge will rule in this case? so our understanding from south carolina attorneys that judge newman is somewhat heavy handed in his sentencing now, best case scenario, alex murdoch can do 30 years in prison for both charges, even though he can serve 30 years individually.

he's probably hoping that those charges run concurrently or the same time, but i think that because of the maliciousness and the absolute cruelty in this case of murdering your wife and son that he's looking at a potential of two likened prison sentences, most likely running consecutively. but meyer says the defense will likely appeal, arguing that murdoch's alleged financial crimes should not have been brought up in the trial. coming up a special moment for a special model at a college basketball game. but first the new cruise you can take for new cruise you can take for three years. my moderate to severe plaque psoriasis... the burning, itching. the pain. emerge tremfyant®. with tremfya®, most people saw 90% clearer skin at 16 weeks. the majority of people saw 90% clearer skin even at 5 years. serious allergic reactions may occur. tremfya® may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms or if you had a vaccine or plan to. emerge tremfyant®. with tremfya®.

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this is abc 7 news. >> communities across california digging out from several feet of snow. some totally isolated and waiting for outside aid. >> this is the most i have seen in consecutive years. >> those communities in a race against time as another storm moves in this weekend. >> what about the impact of the drought? the latest data showing an optimistic picture. >> a huge difference from september to now. it is beautiful to see the water. >> will it be enough? experts weigh in on the impact. good morning. it is friday, march 3. thanks for joining us. >> let's check in with meteorologist. >> another gorgeous day. mainly clear skies. some overheatowarday