for cigarette money. the murder victim, solomon reese, 71 years old. retired army sergeant first class. a vietnam war veteran. he survived that only to be shot and killed inside his own home on good hope road in southeast. mr. reese well known, well liked at this complex. >> he's always been a gentleman to me in and out. minding his business, stuff like that. he's an older guy. and i -- i'm still in shock about it. >> it happened last night on the eighth floor of the marbury plaza apartments. mr. reese found in the doorway, investigators believe this began as a robbery and then turned into a case of murder. >> to make extra money, neighbors say mr. reese used to sell cigarettes out of his apartment. that could have cost him his life. they say he's been robbed a number of times before. >> he has been robbed, and they were aware. the police have been here a few times with him getting robbed. >> he sells cigarettes out of his apartment? >> yes. >> there would be a steady flow of people maybe coming to bite cigarettes? >> yes, sir. >> and he might have some cash money from the sales, right? >> well, i guess he would if he's selling cigarettes. >> reporter: today i talked by phone to the brother of mr. reese, he lives in alabama. and then for him to die this way, sir? >> yeah, it's uncalled for. >> reporter: police are working the case but so far no suspect, no arrest. jim, back to you. >> pat collins, thank you. the hunt is on tonight for a would-be rapist. a 23-year-old woman was attacked shortly after midnight in montgomery village. she was walking along montgomery village avenue near stewart town road, when she noticed someone following her. a biker riding by apparently startled the suspect and the victim managed to break free. eight months in prison for a former high ranking d.c. official who admitted to taking bribes. ted lozza is the former chief of staff to jim graham and admits to accepting 1500 dollars from a taxicab industry rep in return for getting favorable legislation passed. he didn't report the money on a financial disclosure statement and plead guilty to the charges back in february. six states and indictment have all legalized same sex marriage. but an initiative to get the legislation passed in maryland failed. some are calling on governor martin o'malley to play a bigger role. >> if passed, the governor said he would sign the same sex marriage bill into law. but he was concerned if he sponsored it and his name was on the bill, it would have created a partisan divide. as it turned out, not only republicans, but some of the governor's own party opposed it. >> despite being overwhelmingly democratic, the house of democrats failed to muster enough support to bring the bill to a vote. so it failed. now, advocacy votes are pushing for governor o'malley to take a leadership role next year when it's reconsidered. david lubin serves on the board, and is the mayor of the town of chevy chase. >> the first thing we'd like to do is see the governor endorse the bill rather than express a weak willingness to sign it. we'd like it to be a governor's bill, you know, part of his legislative program since maryland has the most powerful governor in the nation. >> the situation is different than the new york state legislature than it was in maryland. >> in new york, they were fortunate to have garnered bipartisan support for the quality initiative in new york. last session we came up a couple votes short, and unfortunately did not have a single republican vote for marriage equality. >> some democratic lawmakers from prince georges county, feeling pressure opposed the marriage equality bill. the family research council was part of the fight to defeat same sex marriage on religious grounds. >> i think the pastors, particularly african-american pastors within the state of maryland stand ready to mobilize once again as they did this year in opposition, and i'm sure their influence will be just as great in the future. >> the governor will have to decide if he will pay a bigger part in same sex marriage. coming up at 6:00, we'll hear how he intends to make that decision. nearly 90 metro access riders are suing claiming they were exposed to tuberculosis. a driver had the airborne disease while he operated the vehicle for several months in 2008. the examiner reports three riders in this lawsuit contracted tb during that time. metro said they notified the riders and sent them info on the city's tb control program. driver who thought they could forget about red light cameras in fairfax, virginia is bringing the cameras back this week. julie carrie is live with more on where to expect the flashing lights and potential fines many hi, julie. >> hi, you know for a time, red light cameras were forbidden in virginia, as can you see from that box across the street, they're making a comeback. and here in fairfax city, there's going to be a new twist, something that will leave little doubt about when a violation has occurred. you don't have to stand in an intersection long to see it, red light running is rampant. one reason fairfax city is restoring its photo red light program, installing new cameras that will begin operation july 1st. >> we're hoping that with the implementation of the new system, we'll again see a reduction in red light violations as well as traffic accidents that are occurring at some of our busier intersections. >> only two intersections will get the new cameras at first. the others are posted at fairfax boulevard and busy fairfax circle. legislation permitting red light cameras expired. a new bill was enacted in 2007, once again allowing the cameras, but so far, only arlington, falls church and fairfax city have restored them. the fairfax city cameras feature something new along with photographs of the infraction. there will be a 12 second video. >> can see the evidence for yourself. >> offenders can see what they've done. the 17-year-old says he's opposed to the new cameras, especially the addition of the video. >> i'm not a fan of the cameras anywhere. i think it's taken a little too far. big brother watching down on us. i don't like it. >> other drivers say the video feature in particular could help reform some red light runners. >> i definitely think the cameras are a deterrent. i think most people are concerned about that flash of the camera, if there's a video and no denying, i think that would be pretty cool. i would feel more safe with a video. >> it could reform some people? >> i think so. >> we will see the new cameras will be up and running on july 1st. the first 30 days, offenders will get a warning, august 1st the fines kick in. how much offenders will have to pay coming up at 6:00. >> thanks for the heads up, julie. a truck accident created a spectacle and plenty of delays during the morning commute in northeast d.c. today. >> a tractor-trailer was left dangling over the 295 exit ramp. the driver was turning when the trailer slid down an embankment. >> the exit was shut down while crews performed a precarious rescue. >> the road has since been reopened and traffic is back to normal for the ride home. when we come back, a teenager's 20 foot fall caught on tape. we'll find out what authorities blame for this tumble. avastin on trial. supporters rally as the fda meets inside to discuss the risk surrounding this controversial breast cancer treatment. all eyes on the national zoo. we could have extra reason to over the next two days, the fda is meeting to determine whether avastin should remain on the market as a treatment for breast cancer. >> government regulators say the recent studies say this drug is not effective and possibly dangerous. the makers of avastin clals the drug does prolong lives. >> megan mcgrath has both sides of this heated debate. >> reporter: the stories are compelling. tracy galvin has two small children, and a year ago, she was diagnosed with late stage breast cancer. >> we don't talk about it, but we know what it is. >> reporter: arlene kelly has been battling the disease for decades. >> you're looking for stability because we're not curable patients. we're not terminal, there's a difference. but we're not curable. >> while perhaps not curable, the cancer is controllable. they're fighting to ensure the drug is available for them and other women who receive the same devastating diagnosis. >> i was on it for nine months and during that nine months i thrived on it and did well. it got me to the point of stable. >> reporter: the fda fast tracked approval in 2008 after initial tests showed promise among late stage breast cancer patients. regulators later reversed that zerks saying further study found the drug to be ineffective and potentially dangerous to some patients. >> we heard about the -- >> the decision has angered many cancer survivors who say they've done very well on the drug. and prompted one final hearing before the fda. supporters say they understand the risks which include potentially deadly blood clots. the drug can add years to a life that would otherwise be cut short. nbc's chief science correspondent robert bazell has been looking into the effects of this cancer fighting drug. he joins us live in new york. good to see you again. the bottom line, does avastin work or not in treating breast cancer? these women say it's here to help them talk about it. the recent study says no. what's going on? >> well, there's a difference between anecdotes and no matter how compelling they are, and studies of large numbers of people. and the studies, no matter how compelling the anecdotes are, do not show the benefits of the drug outweigh the risks, that's why the fda wants to remove the approval of avasten for breast cancer. keep in mind that avastin is on the market for several other cancers, but there's no question whether it works. doctors are free to prescribe it for breast cancer and would be even if the fda were to remove it from the market. the elephant in the room is cost. avastin costs $88,000 a year, if it doesn't have fda approval for breast cancer, most insurance companies won't pay for it for breast cancer the risks. a lot of people with breast cancer are going to say,how bad can the risk be considering what i'm facing if i don't get rid of this disease? >> i don think anybody would deny the risks would be tolerable if there were any evidence it was safe. other than these anecdotes no, studies have found a survival benefit that exceeds the risks, therefore, they're saying the drug is not worth keeping on the market. >> and the cancer survivors outside the gates. what kind of weight do they carry with the fda inside? >> they carry a lot of weight. this is obviously very emotional, your heart goes out to people who are dying when they think a drug is helping them. maybe in individual cases it is. the fda can only look at large studies and this issue has gotten caught up in the politics of women's health and the politics of health care reform in the sense that when is it the government says no, something is just too expensive to keep on the market. the government is not even considering cost here, it's only considering efficacy, and it says, show me the studies to show me the drug is more effective than dangerous. >> one thing with the people who are saying the drug worked for them, isn't there a class of cancer patients that are called super responders that are individuals who just might be responding to it, but they aren't big enough to be worthwhile across the board? >> well, there's no evidence to that, that's what the people who think they're super responders are saying. one anecdote doesn't prove that anything works or doesn't work. that's why we need scientific studies. i think the fda is trying to do what a lot of people have been telling to do for a long time, is follow the signs. as can you see, when you follow the signs, you run into these emotional problem where's people think their life is being saved by this drug. i can't judge whether it is. you can't judge whether it is. it can only be done by properly controlled scientific studies. the fda is saying those studies at this time don't show that the benefits outweigh the risks. >> robert bazell, an emotional issue. thank you so much for enlightening us a little bit. he'll have the latest on this debate on nbc nightly news with brian wail yams tonight at 7:00. we have weather to talk about now, and doug joins us. we have storms, but nothing severe out there. >> not right now. a couple severe thunderstorm warnings, right now they've all been dropped. doesn't mean you're not going to see strong storms or that we're going to continue to see extremely warm temperatures out there. outside right now, it says on our screen about 90 degrees here in northwest washington. we've seen the high temperatures so far today go up to 94 degrees, and that's where we are right now. live digital doppler radar showing you where these storms are across portions of the region. mostly to the south of washington. that's where most of them will stay throughout the evening hours. it's northern portions of virginia, southern maryland. have you the best chance of seeing rain over the next couple hours, i think everybody gets in on the action overnight tonight. this storm was severe earlier, they have dropped the severe thunderstorm warning, but still very heavy rain. a couple more storms developing out toward prince william county right now. down toward culpepper, this line has been down here for the last hour to two hours, it's not moving a lot. you're going to see locally heavy downpours, a lot of lightning from these storms, maybe some hail as they continue to move off to the east-northeast. once again, not very heavy, strong movers. these are now just down to the south around calverton. we're looking at that storm right now right on top of culpepper, an winfrey and winston. you're seeing some of these stronger storms move on through. right now no severe thunderstorm warning. something we've been dealing with today, the heat. 94 degrees out there right now, winds out of the south at 12 miles per hour. at least now we're starting to see the clouds move in. 93 in frederick, 85 in quantico. temperatures with the heat index now up to 101 in washington. 102 in fredericksburg, a very hot day today. but i think it will be the only hot day over the next few days. i think we have fantastic weather coming up. here's why, thundershower activity, and thunderstorm activity through the evening. look at 10:00, just about everybody here getting in on the action as the front begins to move on through. these aren't the only storms we'll see. we'll see more as we move through the night tonight. tomorrow we clear out nicely. tomorrow is going to be a fantastic day. this evening, partly cloudy, scattered strong thunderstorms. temperatures tomorrow morning, 64 to 72 degrees with, clearing skies and lower humidity. tomorrow afternoon i think is going to be great. 83 to 87 degrees, mostly sunny tomorrow, mostly sunny on thursday. and then guys, i think we're talking about a heat wave. friday, 92 degrees. saturday 97. and that might not be all. that is the holiday weekend and this does look like the holiday weekend could stay warm too. that means friday, 92. we're going to be out in somebody's backyard anyway. i think there's a lot of shade. if you'd like us to come to your backyard, e-mail us and let us know why you want us to come out to weather@nbcwashington.com. >> you better bring hamburger popsicles. after two failed attempts to derail the casey anthony murder case, a new witness takes the stand today. your baby's crib is supposed to be safe. new federal rules take effect today to make sure of it. find out what the changes are coming up. it's one of the most challenging commutes in our area, from the rails to the roads, wha people in d.c. know how to sweat. our nation's capital is fourth on the list of most physically active cities in the country. falling just behind seattle, san francisco and oakland, california. men's health magazine conducted the study. where are the couch potatoes? illinois and jackson, mississippi. the fastest commute from frederick tote capital. the goal arrive by 8:30 in the morning. one reporter took the marc train, one drove to the metro station, the other two drove the whole way using i-270. who got there first? the marc rider was the only one to get to the capitol by 8:30. she also had to leave earlier to accommodate the train's schedule. the two reporters who drove, one used the car pool lane arrived 15 minutes faster. they made it through blind auditions, the live shows and tonight the big moment is here on nbc's hit the voice. an all new live episode will feature performances from the final four contestants all hoping to take home the big prize. each will have a solo moment, then perform with their respective coaches. earlier we caught up with the contestants who talked about their success and the opportunities they've gotten so far. >> i don't bank on anything. >> expecting something will only let you down. >> exactly. we keep our expectations in a certain place to protect our searches. i honestly do hope that just getting here to the final four, that something good is awaiting all of us. >> a platform for all of us. >> absolutely. >> buckle up. you can catch all the action on tonight's all new the voice live on nbc 4. performances start at 9:00. still a fast forward through the headlines now. d.c. police are looking for suspects in the murder of a 71-year-old man in northeast. he was shot at the marbury plaza, an apartment home on good hope road. police believe robbery was the motive. >> on the heels of new york's passage of same sex marriage. advocates in maryland are hoping it will be the next state. the marriage equality bill failed to pass this year. governor o'malley said the situation in new york is different because there was bipartisan support. opponent thes in maryland vow to fight back if a similar bill comes up again. a hearing is underway for the cancer treatment drug avastin. some patients and their families gathered outside the hearing in silver spring today in support of avastin. right now very hot and humid outside, also, you're probably noticing a lot of the cloud cover making its way toward the east. and also rain. we have big strong storms moving to the east and continue to develop right now down into portions of falkeer county and prince william county. we're also looking at fairfax county starting to see those storms around berks. the biggest storm right around calberton and culpepper. those storms continue to move off to the north and east at 20 to 25 miles an hour. nothing severe right now, but the storms are continuing to develop and we'll keep you posted right here. >> manassas police are looking for a burglar who not only helped himself to a local business's electronics, but took a shower and a shave too. >> they're hoping he comes clean. >> i came to work and my son said, hey, dad, somebody broke in to the office through the kitchen window and took a shower and stole a whole bunch of stuff. >> reporter: for 16 years, cliff and his son have run an insurance agency out of this modest house in downtown manassas. there were never any problems until last friday morning. >> i said, he took a shower? i said, dad i called the police and the fellow had taken a shower, and yes, he shaved. >> manassas police came to the business to investigate a stolen laptop, stolen guns and a dirty bathroom. they say it could be part of a greater pattern, over the weekend there were several other businesses burglarized. all former homes in downtown manassas. close to the railroad tracks and a transient population. >> they're usually older buildings without alarm systems and surveillance. heavy overgrowth, trucks, trees, trucks blocking the lighting. all of those things that we find in the newer construction that deter crime. >> reporter: the building doesn't have the most sophisticated security system, it does have a motion detector light above the door. near the kitchen window where the burglar broke in. after he took a shower and a shave, something more upsetting happened. >> he also went into our refrigerator and stole our lunch meat and coca-colas. >> they're asking for help. >> did he get a clean getaway? >> perhaps i did, but we'll probably come up with the suspect here and be able to close this case. >> reporter: in manassas, jane watrell, news 4. >> even the lunch meat. the burglar showered and shaved. in the other incidents, he used the internet, stole snacks, and took some money. >> he's hungry. all right. a sterling man is behind bars tonight charged with sexual assault and burglary. fairfax county police arrested 27-year-old ernesto gadoy. a woman living in the home he broke into said she woke up, found a masked armed man standing over her. he raped her and then ran off. he was arrested at his home over the weekend. whitey bulger is asking a judge for a gag order in his case. the alleged mob boss was in court today asking a judge to clam down on leaks in this case, arguing they endangered his right to a fair trial. he was arrested in california last week after 16 years on the run, and he's charged with 19 counts of murder. police say he taunted them after his arrest, telling details of how he avoided being caught while taking trips to mexico, vegas and even back home to boston. changes may be made to a proposal that would allow liquor stores to deliver beer, wine and alcohol in prince georges county. >> the plan would allow recovery to the customer's doorstep. the county liquor board held a hearing on the issue today. dozens ofple testified. their comments will be considered and discussed in another public hearing set for july 28th. d.c. officials are upping their stance on safety now that school's out for the summer. mayor gray teamed up public safety agencies for the one city summer fun, something for everyone initiative. teaching crime prevention tips, fireworks safety and home emergency preparedness strategies. organizers say the key is offering fun activities to keep kids out of danger. and community leaders are starting by combing the streets and playgrounds, making sure they're clean, hazard free and ready for some fun. >> they went through, cleaned up alleys, removed junk cars, replaced streetlighting, cut the grass, frimed the trees, fixed potholes, repaired sidewalks, broken fences. >> among the other things, a new recreation center going up in ward eight and a new year round swimming pool. security cameras roll as a teenager tumbles 20 feet off an escalator. >> why authorities say he doesn't have anyone to blame but himself. the feds implement the toughest safety standard for cribs in decades. find out what it means for consumers, new federal requirements to keep cribs safer took effect today. >> the most stringent crib safety standards in the world. >> liz crenshaw is here with what it means for consumers and manufacturers. >> the new crib standards have been in the making for years in an effort to combat infant deaths. there have been at least 32 infant suffocation and strangulation deaths since 2000. starting today, all importers, distributors, manufacturers and retailers must offer only cribs that meet the new federal standards. the biggest change, the new rules prohibit the manufacture, sale or resale of those traditional drop side rail cribs. the problem, they can detach, suffocate and strangle infants. the new safety rules do more than just ban drop sides. the stricter standards require manufacturer's to improve slat strength, the cribs must be made with stronger wood. it requires mattress supports to be more durable. and traditional drop side cribs can no longer be made or sold. the new rules include tougher safety testing and crib hardware must be stronger to prevent it from coming loose or falling off. the cpsc has recalled more than 11 million dangerous cribs since 2007. >> the safest place for a baby is in a crib that meets current regulations. it's significant today that the new cribs are available in the marketplace over 32 infants have died. and in remembrance of them, we want to make sure there's new safer products available. >> the rules take effect today for manufacturer's and retailers, the new rules also apply to cribs currently being used at child care centers. day-care centers have until the end of next year to purchase and begin using the cribs that meet the new standards. if you already own a drop side crib, contact the crib manufacturer to find out if your crib has been recalled or if it will send you a bracket to immobilize that drop side. for more information go to our website and search the word crib. >> thanks, liz. commercials for junk food may be contributing to the obesity epidemic in children. the more tv children are watching the more they wanted the junction food advertised. fast food and junk food make a bigger impression than the toys. the fda is calling for a ban on high fat and high sugared food ads on children's television. pandemonium at the national zoo. the big question tonight, is mei-jiang expecting? a scary, dangerous and apparently drunken moment caught on camera. a teenager fell 20 feet from this escalator railing in massachusetts. this was at a train station. the 18-year-old survived the fall, but was rushed to the hospital with a broken elbow. he admitted drinking before the incident and says he's learned his lesson. all he has to do is watch that over and over again. don't try it. the national zoo is now on a 24-hour watch. waiting to see if it's giant panda is going to give birth. >> zookeepers say she's been spending a lot of time in her den lately. a sign she may be preparing for a new arrival. >> she looks like she's getting her rest. >> reporter: it's pretty much all things panda in the national zoo gift shops. a 13,000 items for sale, nearly 10,000 have a panda theme. now there may be a real panda pregnancy to stir things up even more. >> would you be the first person to say pandemonium? >> no. >> what about you? >> pandemonium! >> the national zoo is monitoring the panda 24/7 as she's built a nest and is staying indoors. it may be a false alarm. >> are we on the verge of pregnancy? or are we just hope something. >> we're being optimistic about the situation. >> why are pandas so popular? >> that's a good question. they're like our own personal rock stars. >> as the father relaxed outside, the zoo crowds are growing with anticipation of the city's biggest four footed tour ist attraction. >> when will they know whether she's pregnant or not? >> within a matter of days. >> there's a pregnancy watch going on, did you know that? >> i did not know. >> is it kids that are crazy about pan dazs or the parents and caregivers? >> probably both. >> what is it that makes them so attractive? >> they're cute and fuzzy and furry. >> the zookeepers keep watch. maybe there will be a panda arrival for the fourth of july. >> the last panda cub as you may recall was born in 2005. >> and under the zoo's agreement with china, tei-jiang was returned to china last year. >> this time the zoo's preparing for huge crowds again if this panda pregnancy is the real deal. i don't think she moved a centimeter. >> no, she's asleep. i would too if people were watching me all day. a popular attraction in northwest washington is offering free admissions for kids. the new zealand wave admission for anyone 18 years and under this summer, saving parents nearly $13. the deal starts on friday and runs through labor day. the museum off of pennsylvania avenue is centereded around journalism and the first amendment. >> there's a lot for kids to do down there. >> especially with the heat wave coming up. >> you heard my forecast early and went with heat wave right away. i think a lot of people are going to do just that. as we head into the holiday weekend that's what we could be talking about. extremely hot, we got up to 94 degrees so far tonight. and now we're dealing with strong thunderstorms, no severe thunderstorm warnings right now in effect. but i have been watching this storm down into falkeer county and prince williams county as well. that storm looks like it has a good chance to become severe if it's not already. very heavy winds around the calverton area just off to your east. elk run, bielton seeing rain and thunder as well. as you make your way up toward oaksville. seeing that storm just off to your south. it may approach dale city, around burke, we're going to continue to watch these storms as we make your way through the night. temperatures in the next couple days, beautiful, 86, wednesday and thursday. and the heat wave sets in. we could be near 97, maybe even hotter as we move into the day on saturday. >> thank you, doug. let's turn to sports, it's time for lunch with lindsay. >> today she's sitting down with jason aldeen. >> he's one of the hottest country singers around, his new sing sell number one on the charts as we speak. the nationals are also big fans. the number of players stopped by his recent concert in virginia after the country star spent the day with them at the ballpark. jason sat down with me to talk music and sports backstage at nissan pavilion. ♪ >> reporter: what's the deal with the bulldogs? >> i'm a georgia boy, we have a bunch of georgia gear here. something that gives -- brings a little piece of home to everywhere we are. i don't know, it's just my team. >> adam dunn, former washington national sang your praises, said he was a buddy of yours. i know you're good friends also with adam laroche. i don't know if it's an adam thing or whatever. >> tell me about that, what is your friendship like? >> i'm a huge sports fan, have a couple offers to play baseball. i was into it as a teenager, kid, i actually met adam laroche when he was with the braves and i went and did the national anthem and it was pretty early in my career, and he came up to me afterwards and started talking to me, and before the game, we just kind of exchanged phone numbers, i was like, if you ever want to come to a show, let me know. he was like, if you want to come to a game, let me know. that's how it started. we started talking to each other back and forth. he came out to some shows and i went to a couple games and we just got to be really good friends. >> athletes that i talked, to a lot of them have gone through different adverse identities and they've come out on top. they learned lessons along the way, can you relate to that as a musici musician? are there thens you've learned along the way? >> i think that's the thing. i think there's always tough times and things like that, you don't get to be a success, i don't think without having some bumpy roads along the way. and i think it's all in how you handle those things. >> what song has most personally touched you? >> of mine? >> of yours. and why? >> i think it's a song called laugh until we cried? ♪ going through my closet the other day ♪ ♪ i found an old yearbook right to the page of a senior trip ♪ >> i had just gone through losing a close friend of our family. we put that song out, and that was a big reason i wanted to record that song, and my oldest daughter was in that video, which was really cool. and my youngest daughter had just been born. that was her first road trip. we got on the bus and went up to new jersey and shot the video for that song. i don't know, there was a lot of stuff going on around that song and the reason i wanted to record it. i think when it came out, a lot of people were like, wow, this is unlike anything unexpected from him. but there were a lot of reasons i wanted to put that song out, and a lot of personal reasons, i think, so that was definitely my -- the one that's been the most special i think. >> country star, sports fan. i was at that concert when we interviewed him with my dad. my dad's a huge sports fan. he was in hog heaven, we walked out it was ryan zimmerman, laroche and john landon watching him, because they are very good friends. >> that's great. jim vance joins us now with what's coming up at 6:00. >> coming up tonight at 6:00, we are following developments out of afghanistan tonight where there's been a suicide bombing at a luxury hotel there. we have video that shows what police think might be serial burglars in the act. they got away with tens of thousands of dollars of drugs at a local pharmacy. and the pope made an announcement for the first time on twitter. those stories and more coming up in a few minutes. still to come at 5:00, a man who discovered caylee anthony's body takes the stand for the defense. will his testimony cast doubt on the state's murder case? a big day for the defense in the casey anthony trial. her family members were called to the stand along with a meter reader who found caylee anthony's skull. >> reporter: it's been an important day for the defense, with several key witnesses taking the stand including casey anthony's entire family. the most explosive testimony from her father george who denied having a romantic relationship with a volunteer helping to find his missing granddaughter or telling that woman that caylee's death was an accident. >> i never confided in any volunteers. >> reporter: next the focus of the defense turned to roy kronk the county meter reader who discovered caylee's remains. a man they allege moved her body to the wooded area where it was found. >> i never went into the woods, i just saw it from the outside of the trees. >> reporter: cheney mason quizzed kronk for hours about his involvement in the case. >> no, i never took them into the woods, sir. >> they didn't ask you mr. kronk, show us where this skull is? >> no, sir. >> reporter: through december, when the remains were finally identified. >> i found a human skull. >> reporter: as prosecutors began their cross-examination of kronk, they countered with testimony that he did not know the anthony family and had never been in the area of their home until he was assigned to read the water meters there. jay gray, nbc news, orlando. >> that's it for news 4 at 5:00, news 4 at 6:00 starts right now. thousands have fled the town of los alamos, new mexico. a man who survived a war could not survive an attack at his own home. the motive for the murder of a vietnam vet. firebombs and tear gas have been tossed around during violent protests in greece. the fight over money troubles overseas having a direct impact on money matters here at home. but we begin with breaking news, suicide bombers have attacked a luxury hotel in afghanistan. it appears to be the work of the taliban. good evening, i'm wendy rieger. >> the attack at the inner continental hotel in kabul is still underway. witnesses on the scene say they are hearing gunfire. they say that afghan military commanders have just gone into the hotel. initial reports suggest that three