♪ captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- grandmother is accused of throwing her granddaughter from a parking bridge at a parking garage. the girl died last year and today marks the beginning of

what could be a heated legal battle in a virginia court room. we go to the 4 fax county courthouse. this trial is expected to take a couple of weeks. jury selection began a couple of hours ago and is expected to take a majority of today. this is a case that has stirred series of motions and left the community asking how grandmother could have tossed her own granddaughter down some 50 feet to her death. magaw shot is not a reflection of a caring grandmother. questions still swirl as to how she is now on trial for the murder of her two-year-old granddaughter. prosecutors say insanity is the only explanation. this was at the tysons corner shopping center last november. the little girl died at an area hospital nine hours later. in preliminary testimony, the toddler's mother said they had all been to tyson's for dinner

walking back to their car when without warning de la rosa grad her granddaughter and threw her over the railing. she fell six stories to her death. attorneys say the 51-year-old had been suffering from a depressive disorder and her daughter admits there were multiple suicide attempts. prosecutors plan to pay the act as premeditated and at least one psychologist is expected to poke holes in the insanity plea. so far, no motive has been offered for what might have triggered the woman to act so erratically. in order to prove insanity, her attorneys will have to prove that at the time of the incident her mental state prevented her from realizing the consequences of for action and being able to decipher between right and wrong. repair crews are on the scene of a major water main break in dale city. this was the scene from newschopper7 a short time ago.

the break is that acorn and s&l drive. the repairs will take awhile. drivers may want to steer clear of that area ashdale >> barricade situation is over and southwest washington. police responded to shot being fired -- fire along n street. the shooter ran into a nearby home and a short time later officers arrested the suspect and no one was hurt. we're looking at a warmer day ahead but also a chance of some wet weather. steve rudin is in the weather center. our chance for showers later this afternoon are limited to about 30%. we will have a warm oven temperatures even though we have mostly cloudy skies right now. 77 degrees at reagan national airport committed 70's at dulles and lower 70's in the mountains. we are sort of stuck in between the two systems, a bermuda high from the east in an area of low

pressure to the north and west of us. this has been the situation for the last couple of days and that is why our weather pattern has been so stagnant. some changes are on the way and we will get things moving. we have a cold front on the way and before you know it, we will have temperatures of daytime highs in the 60's. we will talk about when that will happen in a few minutes. we are following some developing news from afghanistan where one american was killed and another injured during an overnight attack at the cia office in kabul. officials believe the gunmen was an afghan employee of the u.s. government. they said a person was not authorized to have a weapon. the victims have not been identified and the motive of this shooting still remains unclear. on capitol hill, the senate is expected to vote today on a stopgap funding bill to keep the government funded until november. the bill would provide nearly $4 billion in disaster aid to fema which is now nearly broke.

the senate version of this bill does not propose spending cuts to pay for disaster relief. president obama will participate in a town hall meeting in a few hours sponsored by the social networking site linked inverted he will answer questions about his job creation plan and the economy. the president has to denver tomorrow where he will deliver another speech about his jobs plan. the republican presidential race is well under way. some party leaders are not satisfied with this crop of candidates. many are trying to coax new jersey governor chris christie into the field. rick perry has started to show some vulnerability. will he or won't he? new jersey governor chris christie has insisted he is not running for president. >> apparently i have to commit suicide. to convince people i am not

running. >> is he changing his tune? sources tell us that he is listening to the sales pitches from donors and supporters who are urging him to get into the race. last week, he sounded less than in enthusiastic about the current candidates. >> the fact that nobody yet for was running for president in my opinion has done that effectively is why you continue to hear people ask if i will reconsider. >> his jet's heading schedule has republicans in washington pundits chattering about a potential run. he hits the road this week on a cross-country fund-raising swing in missouri, calif., and louisiana. republican voters may still be waiting for a candidate. >> this is like high-school dating and no one ever lives up to the expectation. there is no republican romeo. >> ultimately, republicans want a candidate who can beat president obama. >> they see a president who is

struggling. they see numbers that suggest republicans can win this. they know that they have to put a very strong candidate up against what is going to be a very well-financed obama campaign theme last month sarah palin said december was the deadline whether she would run. sources say not even her staff knows what she will do. funeral services are under way for a d.c. police officer who was killed in a traffic accident in montgomery county. friends and family attended a wake last night at mount calvary baptist church in rockville. the officer was off two when his car crashed into the back of a tanker truck on the shoulder of on-to 70. he was a 10-year veteran of the metropolitan police department. jury selection is scheduled to begin today in the trial of a maryland lawmaker. prince george's state senator

ulysses currie is accused of using his influence to benefit a grocery store chain where he worked as a consultant. his trial is being held in federal court in baltimore. attorneys for him last week said he was being treated for cancer and given medication that made him fuzzy. investigators are saying a scam artist cashed in on his looks and took advantage of unsuspecting residents. police say the man pictured here posed as nfl quarterback vince young and swindled thousands of dollars from his victims. we have details from prince george's county police headquarters. police say the 33-year old stands almost the exact height and weight of quarterback vince young. they say the fort washington resident has the charm and swagger of a pro athlete. >> if what the police say is true, he should be arrested and

prosecuted and sent to prison for a long time. >> among his alleged victims springfield's amy willis and he convinced her to for over $25,000 of her money -- her mother's money for a business deal. >> he want me to buy the spy work get in woodbridge and run it. >> she wired the money and the deal fell through and she never saw it again. >> i don't think i would have fallen for that. >> if these allegations hold up pittman could serve five years in a texas prison for probation violation. he never served a day of his five-year prison term. >> it was a serious sexual offense and because of that he would also -- you also wonder why lighter punishment was given. >> he also claims to be a former pro basketball player, the owner of a modeling agency, car dealerships, a record label, and

even a restaurant in italy. willis wonders why he was not behind bars. >> why is he walking the streets? somebody dropped the ball somewhere. >>pittman also defrauded a woman who gave him $2,500 for a foundation that supposedly gave children hula hoops. take a look at some of the stories we will follow in the day ahead. it has the more than one month since our region was rocked by an earthquake. we will get an update on the status of the washington monument. the 5.8 earthquake called -- cause cracks in the structure and force the monument to close. the past few weeks have been spent trying to figure out how to make repairs. the community will gather this evening to discuss a plan to install surveillance cameras inside fairfax county public schools. this proposal is in response to food fight that broke out at two by schools last school year.

officials said the cameras will help crack down on bullying and theft. the meeting is set for 6:00 tonight and will be held at hayfield secondary school. tonight, the redskins are looking to make get 0 and 3 "in scans take on the dallas cowboys. deangelo hall says he will target tony romo who suffered a collapsed lung and broken ribs. tony romo says bring it on. kickoff is set for 8:30 tonight at cowboys stadium. >> when we continue, metro will provide better self service underground. we'll hear from two american hikers who just returned from after two years in custody in iran. >> it is an honor. they get such great support. >> he lost three limbs fighting the war in afghanistan.

we will take up to one marines emotional homecoming ceremony in virginia. we will return with a look at the weatherth

we are following developing

news from italy where the man did not appeals trial is entering its final days. there is an explosive testimony in court by the lawyer representing a man that -- a man not officially implicated in the man that knocks's were made to murder. the man spent two weeks in jail and he supposedly was detained. he called amanda knox she devil. two american hikers held in iran for more than two years are now back on u.s. soil. josh fattal and shane bauer are talking about their experience in custody. back in america finally josh fattal and shane bauer contend iran saying there were captured just because they were american. >> how can we forgive the iranian government when it continues to imprison some many other innocent people. >> they share gripping details.

>> we had to go on hunger strike repeatedly just to receive letters from our loved ones. many times, too many times we heard the screams of other prisoners being beaten. >> they said they're kept in solitary confinement blindfolded, beaten until their families stop writing and diplomats had stopped trying to get them released. >> we have been held in almost total isolation from the world and everything we love them to survive, they kept busy with each other and reading novels and exercising. >> there were serious about their exercise and used water bottles as weights in their cells. >> during the more than two years of activity -- captivity they were allowed only 50 minutes of phone calls and one short visit from their mothers. >> it will be time to catch up with their families. shane bauer proposed to his fiancee in prison and they are celebrating their engagement

together again. oman reportedly paid the $1 million bail but they never knew if they crossed the border or not into iraq. no evidence was ever presented against them. i am excited about monday night football. i said 0and 3 and they're trying to go 3-0. are you ready for some changes? it will take a few days -- a few days but it will get cooler. the clouds are hanging tough for the time being. i anticipate we will see a little bit of sunshine as we move into the late afternoon hours. that was our high yesterday and currently 77 degrees. 70 percent -- 70 degrees is the dew point and that is what is uncomfortable. it will stay this way for the remainder of the afternoon.

74 in alexandria and it feels like 78 degrees. the current temperature is 76 in silver spring. in the district, that is 76 degrees and winds are out of the south at 4-8 miles per hour. temperatures are holding in the mid to upper 70's. you can see where the cooler air is located, just to the west of us chicago 55 degrees, 64 in detroit. there is a ton of grain out there and moisture. the dew point levels are holding in the upper 60 possible the further west you go, the drier the air becomes. an area of low pressure continues to thin. this is the same area that has been with us since friday. that has locked in area of high pressure to the east. mostly cloudy skies on saturday and sunday and today we will see some sunshine later in the

afternoon along with a chance for a few showers. the next 48 hours tuesday our better chance for showers and a few thunderstorms mainly late day and we will see these showers and storms west of d.c. for today highs in the upper 70's, about a 30% chance for a shower or two and nighttime lows fall into the 60's with areas of fog. tomorrow calls for scattered thundershowers and upper 70's. our temperatures will cool slowly as we move toward the end of the work week. look at the upcoming weekend for a saturday and sunday will be in the mid 60's. it will be perfect weather for the taste of but that on saturday. >> always a fun event. thank you. we'll take look at news from around the region. a plan to upgrade wireless service on metro is behind schedule. 20 of metro's 47 underground

stations are equipped with fiber optic lines. they expect to have the work wrapped up by last october but it is too early to tell when the entire project will be complete. a proposal is in the works to extend metrorail as far south as quantico. prince william county officials are looking into the option because of the growing population. they said it is essential to consider long-term infrastructure investments. there will be meeting tonight at 7:00 at the harbor view even center in woodbridge. still to come -- a tiny virginia community puts on a huge welcome ceremony as their

♪ this is a story about a hometown hero who served his country and paid a heavy price. he is a marine who returned home to ararat virginia yesterday and received a rousing welcome. earlier this year, he lost three of his limbs while serving in afghanistan. he was overcome by emotion as he thanked the crowd for all of its support. >> it feels good to be home. it is an honor to come from a town li this and get such great support. you don't know what it means to me to know that everybody here is here for me. >> the community has raised $50,000 to help him with his medical expenses. he will be undergoing months of

physical therapy. still >> i had, steve rudin will

we've got another ipad2 contest under way at our website wjla.com/facebook. become a fan and you can sign up for the contest on the left side of the screen. you have until 4:00 friday afternoon to enter and you can enter once per day and we will announce the winner friday and abc 7 news at 5:00.

good luck. let's take another look at our changing for kaspar >> feels like late summer outside. the sun will set at 6:59 to we have equal time of darkness and light. temperatures are around 80 degrees tomorrow and on wednesday. the weekend will be much cooler mid 60's and you can go to wjla.com and check out our blog as to what happened to the space satellite that crashed on the ground.