Critically. Officials believe it was all due to a gas leak. And this way out of here. With that snow piling up, the winter blues are spreading. We have a cure. Dylans about to surprise one lucky family with our first hot ticket to paradise wednesday, february 25, 2015. Announcer from nbc news, this is today with matt lauer and Savannah Guthrie live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. Good morning everyone. Welcome to today on a wednesday morning. I may take that ticket to paradise. Als got a hot ticket to washington, d. C. There for an event. Well catch up with him. Lets get to our top story on wednesday morning. A guilty verdict at the american sniper trial. It did not take long for the jury there to reach its decision. Nbcs jacob rascon has covered this trial from the beginning. Good morning to you. Reporter matt, good morning. Two weeks and three dozen witnesses boils down to this. The jury did not buy the insanity defense. The verdict came quickly and the punishment was immediate. All rise. Reporter it took less than three hours to decide. We, the jury, find the defendant Eddie Ray Routh guilty of the felony offense of capital murder. Words of comfort and closure for the families of the victims. We waited two years for god to get justice for us on behalf of our son and as always god has proved to be faithful. Reporter for the first time were able to hear what was presented to the jury. Like Police Dash Cam video of rouths failed escape attempt. And testimony from chris kyles widow taya. When did you last see chris that day . We were at the house. That we loved each other. And gave him a kiss and hug like we always did. Reporter even from the defendant himself in that rambling confession tape. I knew if i did not take out his soul he was coming to take mine next. Got some sort of savior complex. I just want to get the bad guys. Reporter the trial became the real life sequel to the movie american sniper. In 2012, kyle and his friend chad littlefield took routh to a texas shooting range to help him but he turned on them. I heard mr. Routh say i shot them because they wouldnt talk to me. I was riding in the back seat and nobody would talk to me. Reporter the defense said routh suffered from schizophrenia, the prosecution said he faked it and was high. Im so pair annoyed all day i dont know what to think of the world. I dont know if im insane or sane. Reporter the former marine charged with killing the countrys most lethal sniper now sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole. Routh showed no emotion as the verdict was read or when the victim impact statements were given. One Family Member calling him an american disgrace, taya kyle was not present during the reading. She left earlier abruptly during the defenses closing argument. Savannah. Jacob, thank you. Chad littlefields parents and his brother jerry are with us exclusively this morning. Good morning to all of you and because we havent had a chance to speak i wanted to share our condolences for the loss of your son. Thank you. Thank you very much. After everything youve been through this twoyear journey, what was it like to hear those words guilty ring out in the courtroom yesterday . Joyous. It was answered prayer. We waited a long time to hear that. And we feel justice was served. Mr. Richardson, this jury didnt deliberate even any more than 2 1 2 hours or so. Is there some satisfaction in how quickly and seemingly easily they rejected this claim of insanity . It was just an answered prayer because we waited so long and all of our pain, it needed to be done and i think that the jury did it right and that was an answered prayer for us. Jerry, as i turn to you, there was a lot of testimony about the mental state of this defendant. I wonder where you come down on it. We now know the jury said he was not legally insane. Do you think he was mentally ill or all an act . It was all an act. I taught him in high school, and thats everybody that knows me remembers that i worked with him. He was thats just the way he was. He never grew up. He was still just defiant and he had nothing wrong in the mind. Except for the drug use. Mrs. Littlefield, obviously this story, this karks has received National Attention because chris kyle was so well known. What has it been like for you and your family to go through this terrible ordeal in such a public way, with all of these National Headlines and even a movie focused on this case . Well, its been focused on chris kyle, and because chad was not in the movie, because the attention was not focused on him, we think it helped the case because then when they wanted a change of venue, well, they had to remember that two men were murdered that night, and chad had not had the publicity that chris had. And it was difficult for us because we had to remain quiet because we didnt want to jeopardize the case in any way. So, now is the time that we want to honor and talk about our son chad. He deserves to be remembered. What would you want people, want the world to know about the kind of man he was . Chad was a quiet man. He was a good listener. He and chris worked out together, they were soccer pops, thats where they met. And chris had some weights and chad wanted to go and work out, and he wanted to help the vets as they came back home. He wasnt a veteran himself but he would always talk to us about i want to help these men that are coming home in any way i can and he loved them and he loved to be with chris and he went with him. Chris chose him to go with him. Chris was comfortable with chad and chris, being a navy s. E. A. L. Didnt trust a whole lot, so chad being nonmilitary. Well, chris served overseas and chad served when they came back. He had a passion for veterans. So, but then chad was always a helping hand, you know. He was a rock. He was just a good friend. If he was your good friend, you had a friend. His motto was pass it forward. Im sorry. There is so much to say about your son and your brother, he was obviously a wonderful man. Im glad he is finally getting the focus he deserves. Our very best to you. Thank you for being with us this morning. Thank you. There is another major story were covering, another round of nasty weather, brutal cold. Boston topping 100 inches of snow for the season. That happened overnight. While in the south, millions of people are dealing with a fresh mix of snow and ice. Nbcs Gabe Gutierrez is outside of atlanta. Good morning to you. Reporter matt, good morning. Today crews are spreading this gravel throughout the Atlanta Metro area, trying to treat the roads and prevent icy conditions, a winter storm warning went into effect and local officials are trying to avoid the problems after last years ice storm that stranded drivers in cars for hours and forced children to sleep in their schools overnight. This morning the south is bracing for even more of the snow, sleet and ice that made tuesdays north georgia commute dangerous. We just moved up from florida about seven months ago. So this is definitely new to us. Reporter this years cold is relentless. Tuesday, 23 states had temperatures at or below zero. And several cities shattered their Previous Daily low by at least 10 degrees from new york to washington to zanesville, ohio. I hate it. I definitely am counting down the days for spring and for all of the snow to be melted away. Reporter in tennessee there have been at least 30 weatherrelatedy deaths and tens of thousands of people are still without power. The damage is so much more widespread. A tornado hits a swath and moves on. Reporter in kentucky the National Guard is handing out bottled water after the frigid conditions cut off water to 40,000 people. As the record freeze grips much of the country, here is something to warm your heart. A nationwide random act of kindness is spreading from massachusetts now to indianapolis. A scarf tied to a light pole with a note attached read, take this, if you are cold. And that is something to smile about. Many kids in the atlanta area are also smiling, most schools are closed but local officials are taking this seriously. Georgias governor declared a state of emergency that goes into effect at 2 00 p. M. Al. All right, Gabe Gutierrez, thank you so much. There is a reason for that concern because weve got a big storm system thats coming and its coming hard. Talking about a swath of about 1,000 miles where we have winter storm warnings, abundant gulf moisture getting pulled in with the low pressure around the gulf, and we are looking for dallas all the way to charlotte, and norfolk, virginia, a mix of snow and ice. Heres what were looking for today. Right now you can see dallas already about 400 cancellations in and out of dallas, as this system pushes through, bringing with it a snow, ice mix. Well watch this push through. Weve got 38 Million People under some sort of winter storm watch, warning or advisory from texas all the way into dallas, i should say into parts of virginia. Dallas, texas, Winter Weather advisory, 1 to 3 inches of snow possible. In the afternoon hours, were looking at atlanta, winter storm warning, look for snow accumulating in the suburbs and then by this evening into raleigh with about 3 to 6 inches of snow. Some areas picking up up to 8 inches of snow. Savannah, one more punch and coming up in the next half hour were talking about another shot of arctic air coming in. All right, al. Thank you so much. The secretary of ved rans affairs is apologizing for an inaccurate claim about his military service. But it is not quieting the anger some veterans are feeling. Jim miklaszewski has the story from the pentagon. Good morning. Reporter good morning. The v. A. s Robert Mcdonald moved aggressively admitting his claim being in special Operations Forces was just not true. But when it comes to those veterans, his battles are far from over. Outside the v. A. On tuesday, secretary Robert Mcdonald got straight to the point. I made a mistake. And i apologize for it. Reporter this is what he apologized for. An exchange with a homeless veteran in los angeles aired on cbs, he falsely claimed he had been a special operations soldier. Special forces . What years . I was in special forces. That was wrong. And i have no excuse. Reporter as a west point graduate mcdonald did survive special Warfare Training but joined the armys rangers, not the special Operations Forces. Did you even realize you made that mistake as you call it and did you ever think you need to correct it . I was talking to a homeless vet ran. I was concerned about getting that homeless veteran if they were a veteran, the kinds of cares and services that they needed. At the white house the Obama Administration stood by their man. But veterans like senator john mccain said mcdonalds got bigger problems. Much more concerned about his performance as secretary of veterans affairs. Reporter when mcdonald showed up at the convention tuesday he got more flack for the state of the v. A. Than claims about special operations. This is what drives us crazy. Lee gond Commander Michael helm is worried he may be damaged goods. This didnt help. This is going to be a problem for some time. I got to go. I got to get to work. It appeared mcdonald couldnt make his exit fast enough. The false claim being in special forces appears to be an isolated incident, mcdonald will likely survive and keep his job. You know, dealing with those angry veterans and fixing the v. A. S Health Care problems is a far bigger challenge. Got a lot on his plate. Jim miklaszewski, thanks. Natalie is here now, the investigation into a train crash in california. Right. Good morning. The driver of a pickup truck accused in that accident north of los angeles is under arrest. It could have been much worse. Miguel almaguer is at the scene. Good morning. Reporter good morning. The commuter train has been taken off the tracks, the national tra board is recovered audio and video recordings of this incident, thats being sent to washington, d. C. To be analyzed. Investigators say the driver drove the wrong way down the track, today he faces criminal charges. Fire on the rails. Explosive collision during the morning commute into los angeles. A train at 5th and rice. Reporter a metro train plowing head on into a pickup truck at a rail crossing. The truck exploded. Reporter joel was in the second car. Everything started flying. Crush of death went over me. Reporter with three cars flipped the 49 people suffered moderate to major injuries. Federal investigators are now on scene. Our ultimate goal is not only to find out what happened but we want to find out why it happened. Reporter the rail crossing was a history of accidents is known as one of the most dangerous in california. The truck driver, jose sanchez ramirez, reportedly drove onto the track, then fled the scene and was arrested a mile and a half away. He was taken into custody for a felony hit and run violation. Reporter Officials Say the train can reach a max speed of 79 miles per hour. The operator spotted the truck in the crossing and applying the emergency brakes early, slowing the train before the explosive impact. Metrolink says the passenger cars are equipped with newly instrauled crumple bumpers. The investment that metrolink made in Crash Energy Management cars i believe saved lives. A devastating scene that could have easily been deadly. Reporter with the railway here expected to be reopened soon, four people remain in critical condition. The suspects Attorney Says he simply made a mistake and that he left the scene to get help. Miguel, thank you. A u. S. State Department Official was jailed tuesday charged with soliciting a minor. 44yearold daniel rosen was arrested following a series of online exchanges with a detective who was posing as a minor in fairfax county, virginia. The Justice Department announced tuesday it will not pursue federal charges against George Zimmerman in the shooting death of trayvon martin. Officials say a federal investigation found insufficient evidence to pursue civil rights charges. In 2013 zimmerman was acquitted of seconddegree murder and manslaughter saying he acted in self defense in the shooting. Some incredible video of a natural gas explosion in new jersey and the moment caught on a Police Dash Cam. Watch the left of the screen. That home burst into a ball of flames and debris shoots into the sky. Fortunately, no one was in the home at the time. 15 people, however, were hurt, including two gas Company Workers who were critically injured, crews were there working on a gas main leak at the time. The blast felt up to a mile away. So frightening. A lot of families in the neighborhood havent been able to go back home. Thank you. Lets go back to washington and mr. Roker. Hey, al. You know, they had 200 water main breaks in the d. C. Area alone i in the last week due to this cold weather. For today weve got that swath of wet weather through the gulf coast, icy conditions into the midatlantic states. Look for snow through the western great lakes and a wet day in seattle today. Showers and 52 degrees. Were going to get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds. Would you be willing to give up sharing your moments . Sacrifice streaming all night long . Is it okay to drop a connection, when you need it most . If youre not on the largest, most reliable network, what are you giving up . Verizon. Good wednesday morning to you. Im meteorologist christina loren. Pretty day shaping up over the Golden Gate Bridge and in San Francisco bay. Its cold out there. Were going to see a nice rebound, though. Temperatures climbing out of the 30s and 40s. Into the low 60s by lunchtime. Well round out the day in the upper 60s to high 70s. Highs coming in about 3 00 this time of year. We have a changing pattern headed your way. Youll notice the difference between thursday and friday. Showers on the way and temperatures drop like a rock. More on that in just moments. We will be looking at the temperature change. Guys . Controversial tweets landed in hot water. Some people say this was a matter of time and a lot of conversation on twitter. Facebook and just about everywhere. This went to a whole new level. Heres how it started. This is a short version. A former penn state student tweeted an article about the fundraiser for cancer. She wrote we are. She tagged keith on this. His response to this individual was one word. Pitiful. This stirred up penn state population and a heated debate soon followed. Sending out the note psu students are pitiful because they are psu students period. Proving my point about the mediocrity of their education and ethics. They suspended him from their network for the rest of the week. Ultimately Keith Olbermann apologized and he said he is stupid and childish. They did a great job. Olbermann was not aware that the initial tweet was about charity. Regardless the attacks continue and went to a nasty level with them making this decision. You go online and you see this conversation. His history factor into what should people are saying. Thank you very much. Coming up we will talk about a couple of mysteries that are making news around the world. New drone sightings in paris including near the eiffel tower and u. S. Embassy. A lot of people ask what they are doing there. Why did someone build a 33foot tunnel by hand in the city of [reminiscing] started my camry remembered the choices ive made, to be bold where others are scared, to show her right from wrong and realized my little girl had become an amazing human being who will make choices of her own. Toyota, lets go places. Good morning. Im sam brock. Developing story this morning. Search teams from the bay area are headed east to an area just outside sacramento to help look for a missing newborn. The boy and his mother 23yearold samantha green disappeared on monday. Search crews found only the mother. Police say she was disoriented when she was found calling for help. Just concentrating our efforts in this location. And thats all the information that we have right