for the beating. her 14-year-old female accomplice faces the same charges in juvenile court. >> she deserves everything coming to her. and i was shocked about the 14- year-old. >> reporter: brown and two others also face assault charges for the people who intervened. >> i had never in my life seen anything like that. it was like they were going to kill her. i was afraid they were going to kill her and that's when i stepped in. >> the state's attorney is not commenting on this, but they do say no one else will be charged in this case. reporting live, kelly mcpherson, wjz eyewitness news. >> conviction of a hate crime could mean up to 20 years in prison and a $20,000 fine. we're following breaking news right now in baltimore county. sky eye chopper 13 over the scene of a serious crash. >> reporter: pretty bad head-on crash. this is at old court road at granite road. this is at granite road in baltimore county. as you can see, just a few moments ago, firefighters were able to free a man from this minivan. a minivan crashed head-on into a sport utility vehicle. they will be transported to local area hospitals. no word on the condition of either driver of these vehicles. but as you can see, police have completely closed old court road at granite road, as they continue to conduct their investigation and accident cleanup. so expect delays if you're heading out to howard county, patapsco river. >> reporting live in sky eye chopper 13. raining right now in parts of maryland. a live look tonight, seeing thunderstorms right now. wjz is live with first warning weather. bob turk and meteorologist bernadette woods tracking live doppler radar now. >> thunderstorms seeing sun. depends where you live. take a look at radar. it's all spotty. sort of like popcorn in a popcorn machine, depending where you live. we had shower activity around the cockeysville area. west of liberty. the heaviest activity, across carroll county, west of westminster. you can see, there's more down to the south. around the columbia area, that's heavier showers to the south. down toward the washington region. and still a little more on the eastern region. most of that is moving to the north. west of salisbury. we'll keep watching that activity. it will be with us for at least the next several hours. may even have some showers late into the night. and unfortunately, looks like we mab stuck -- may be stuck with this pattern for a while. >> that's right. there is a huge low-pressure system. the upper layers of the atmosphere. and it's cut off from the jet stream. and so it's going to meander around a little bit. we will see daily variations. but as long as it's in our area, we will see rounds of showers and thunderstorms each and every day. and since it's detached from the jet stream, there's nothing to push it along. it's going to stick around for most of the week. it's really not until friday or saturday that that western system comes in and kicks it out of here. until then, rounds of scattered showers and thunderstorms are in the forecast. but we will detail that shortly coming up back inside. outrage over a plea deal. a johns hopkins researcher killed while on the phone with his mom. tonight, one of the accused could get reduced time in prison. wjz is live in north baltimore, near the scene of the killing. mike hellgren explains the legal move that has many upset. mike? >> reporter: mary, we're at the scene of the killing. you can see, this is a memorial here that is still up for stephen pitcairn. under the terms of the deal, lavelva merit would not have murder charges in exchange for her testimony for her co- defendants. the state's attorney decision to drop murder charges is sparking outrage in charles village. police say merit and her partner, john wag merplotted to rob -- wagner, plotted to rob and charge stephen pitcairn. police say wagner stabbed him in the heart and merit punched him in the face and stole his iphone, leaving him outraged in the gutter. >> she should be held accountable. she was with him when it all happened. >> i thought it was ridiculous. they were in it together. they should get the same sentence, it seems like. >> reporter: merit will get 30 years in the deal. half of the time. and it's unlikely she'll serve that much time. >> if you get good-time credits, which are hard to lose, you're going to actually be in, 13-ish years, something like that, which is a lot better than dieing in that building. >> reporter: the murders stunned the community. particularly troubling was wagner's history of falling through the cracks of the justice system. police say he was caught on tape, robbing someone and violating probation four times but spent no time behind bars. they want to make sure no one escapes justice this time. >> i thought they would be in it together. i was told both were responsible for the outcome of the detect. >> really, we just can't let it fall through. >> sometimes the case is strong but not as strong as you want. juries are not considered generally pro-prosecution in baltimore city. >> reporter: wagner still faces life in prison. >> reporter: and if lavelva merit does not tell the truth or chooses not to take the stand, the deal is off. reporting live from charles village, mike hellgren, wjz eyewitness news. >> wagner's trial is scheduled to start june 24th. the average price of gas in maryland is $4 a gallon. and as many people cope with skyrocketing gas prices, oil companies continue to enjoy record profits while still enjoying tax breaks. adam may has more on a proposed crackdown on big oil. adam? >> reporter: well, kai, we're now seeing some action on the state and federal level. but the real problem is, this is an uphill battle. big oil has big money and that has a big influence on politics. >> reporter: as gas prices top $4 a gallon, breaking family budgets, the major oil companies are filling up with cash. the big five have made over a trillion dollars in profit. senator ben cardin wants to take away their $4 billion in annual tax breaks. >> we need that in order to balance the federal budget. we're going to have to make some tough decisions. but this is one that shouldn't be a tough decision. >> reporter: but here on capitol hill, oil executives defended their profits and tax rate. >> raising our taxes will not impact. >> maryland's attorney general doug gansler doesn't buy it. had he has launched a state investigation into one. >> they have coopted up to this point. where we go down the road, we have to determine where it takes us. >> reporter: but oil companies face tough opposition as they continue funding political campaigns. for example, exxon gave federal lawmakers more than $2.5 million over the last decade. about 10% to democrats. more than 90% to republicans. last year, senator cardin was one of a few that didn't get a penny. >> clearly, the oil industry is doing what they can to influence the political process. i would hope that my colleagues would see through this. this is a matter of national security. >> reporter: and cardin's bill to repeal these tax breaks could go for a vote later this week. but it is not expected to pass. and some of the most vocal lawmakers against it are the ones get the most money from the oil companies. reporting live, adam may, wjz eyewitness news. >> all right, adam. thank you. and you know, wjz viewers have had a lot to say about big oil companies, complete coverage continues with denise, live at wjz.com. denise? >> well, mary, all day long, we have been asking you for your comments about big oil companies and those big tax breaks. kevin says the u.s. government makes more money per gallon of gas than oil companies do. they need to relax the prices on gas, and it will help bring the prices down. but krista asks, why do oil companies get tax breaks? aren't they getting enough of our money from gas at the pump. >> to hear these comments, come to wjz.com. or read the story on our facebook page. remember, you can always find the lowest gas prices in your area, online at wjz.com. just click on the links and numbers on the left side of our page. a murder investigation outside a baltimore county hotel. tonight, police say they have the gunman in custody. ricardo anthony beckford is accused of shooting richard frances at the ramada inn parking lot. according to police, the two were aquainszs who -- acquaint -- acquaintances who got into a fight before the shooting. donald trump released a statement today, saying he would not pursue the country's top job. trump thanked the millions who encouraged him to run. he did not endorse another candidate. space shuttle endeavour is on its way to the international space station. >> three, two, one, zero. and liftoff. shuttle commander, mark kelly has support on hand. his wife, congresswoman gabrielle giffords was one of the many who were there to watch. it's been about four months since she was shot in the head in arizona. i was sitting next to her during launch when she looked at me at the end and said, good stuff. >> there was clapping, hugging at the end. >> usually, kelly takes his wife's wedding ring with him. but this time, he also gave her his wedding band to hold on to. >> so nice. a good moment for them. still ahead at 5:00. a bloody scene on a maryland farm. i'm alex demetrick. coming up, 20 sheep mauled, two of them to death. that story continues. searching reports on a serial killer. who could be a suspect in the long island killings? he's the face of this year's preakness, pegasus. i'm andrea fujii. that's just ahead on wjz eyewitness news. a little shocking to to see him in the buff there. >> that's a good word. bob will update the first warning weather forecast. ,,,,,, you're the best, mr. snuggles. 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[ male announcer ] sweet tea and the mcdonald's dollar menu. a blood bath. that is how it looked to the owners of a flock of sheep mauled and killed by two pit bulls in western maryland. alex demetrick reports, the attack happened on a farm in washington county, after the dogs got loose in a home in a residential neighborhood. >> sunday morning, joe fry entered his barn to feed his flock of sheep. instead, he found two pit bull dogs. >> and they were barking and a growling. and my first instinct was, you know, i had nothing to defend myself. so i just backed right out of the barn. >> he made it to this door and closed the doings in. his son came in with the gun and killed one of the dogs. that's when fry came and and found the damage. >> i had dead sheep. i had sheep that were standing here with no jaw, no nose, jaw hanging down that we ended up having to put down. >> reporter: 20 sheep were attacked, 12 died. the survivors showed signs of the mauling, wounds and broken bones. >> there's no price to put on them. it's like losing a little child. >> these animals were priceless to us. they were our show stock. our breeding stock. >> reporter: the dog was taken into custody by animal control. >> the dog has been deemed vicious and dangerous. and at this point, there is no intention of giving the dog back to its owners. >> reporter: the dogs's' owners said she was not home when they got loose and she does not know how they got loose. >> they are indoor dogs. >> she said her dogs have never showed signs of aggression before. >> i feel bad for what happened to the farmers' animals. but i just don't believe they did it. he was my four-legged furry child. he was my world. >> reporter: but the fries are dealing with their own loss. and it isn't over yet. these sheep are not out of the woods by a long shot. >> reporter: alex demetrick, wjz eyewitness news. >> the pit bull owner says she wants her dog back. pending hearing by animal control will make that decision. if you're waiting for someone to get home from work, let's check on the roads with sharon gibala. >> it's gotten much busier out there. if you are headed out on the beltway. we have two accidents. the first one on the inner loop. that one in the area of green spring avenue. watch for a crash on the inner loop at loch raven boulevard. a wreck in woodstock. old court road is closed between melrose avenue. watch for an accident on 70 westbound, at route 94. that's woodbine. and another one in bel air, 543, at east churchville road. an accident at 695. and another in the city. at grenadda avenue. looking at delays now. seven minutes at 32 miles an hour. 895, northbound slow. from the steel bridge slow to the tunnel. and there is a look at the speeds. slowest spots is going to be there on the top side because of the two accidents we told you about with speeds in the 20s. taking a live look outside. that is 70 westbound. it's slow in the usual spot. there is a live look at the west side at wilkens avenue. this traffic report is brought to you by the cochran firm. if you have suffered a personal injury, call 1-800-the firm. >> all right, sharon. thank you. almost 2,000 runners lace up their shoes for the 13.1- mile maryland half marathon. and we now know their hard work is paying off in a big way. runners raised $300,000 to new research efforts at the greenbaum cancer center. roads were a little wet. >> weather cooperated. it's humid out there. right now, we have heavy downpours. watch out for that. earlier, still bright and sunny. we're at 74 at the airport. east/northeast winds at 8. barometer holding steady. come back and take a look at the showers showers and thunderstorms after this. ,,,,,, some areas dark. heavy showers. downpours and thunderstorms. others are bright and sunny. take a look at radar. most are out the baltimore area. most from south to north. and really, the heaviest stuff to the southwest of baltimore now. moving up toward western baltimore county. all of that action continues to move pretty much from south to north. right now, the city is kind of missing it. but it's still possible, we'll see some showers later this evening. and a good chance we'll see more of this stuff coming in. the next four, even five or six days. now looks like the westest may be wednesday. d.c. with 80 last hour. had about a half inch of rain. watch out for that. 77 with sunshine. over easton locally. low to mid-70s. temperatures in your showers probably stay in the mid-70s. but quickly drop in the 70s with the rain in the region. right now, winds generally out of the east and northeast. we've had southerly and southeasterly winds. the higher-than-normal tide. you might remember, a few days ago. we had a few sitting over iowa. they had snow. northern rockies. this low has kind of moved off to the east and it's now stuck, stuck in the upper atmosphere, spinning, spinning, which means it's going to continue the threat of thundershower activity and heavy downpours in our region, probably all week long. but looks like later today and wednesday, we'll start getting more of an easterly flow, which means more overcast skies and embedded thundershower activity. it looks like it might get a little more complete in filling in by later tomorrow and on wednesday. all because of that low just kind of stuck. stuck right here. it won't be until the end of the week. we think it may get far enough way to give us a break in precipitation. there's winds off the bay. and the ocean will bring in thunderstorms. scattered shower and activity. most of it out west of us. and as the sun sets tonight, we'll lose some of that tomorrow. with more activity. particularly in the afternoon and evening hours once again. could be heavy downpours as you've seen this afternoon. we're following breaking news right now in northeast baltimore. sky eye chopper 13 over the scene. argon road at harford road. a sewage spill from the sanitary sewer. dpw is working on the situation right now. they've issued a notice to all of the folks along herring run, which is going to be east of harford road. apparently some carpet was improperly disposed of down this terrain, alongside the roadway and has blocked this. there are more than 10,000 gallons. they tonight know how much it's going to be total they get the blockage. but as you can see, folks being told to stay away from herring run. east of harford road. >> always disturbing to see or hear about. as previous weeks kick off. the mascot, the pegasus speaks with wjz and it is already helping ticket sales. he's the face and behind of this year's preakness. open arms, recognizable on the street. hailing pegasus, to which i say all to you, baltimore. >> they're 17% higher than they were this time last year. >> all indications are that he is popular with the people going to the bars, which are the same people we want here on the field. >> and the rules are the same here. no outside alcohol can be brought in. but once on the inside, you can buy as much as you want. 32,000 people were on the in field last week. and although it is his namesake, keg asus does not promote individual drinking. >> i think that's up to each individual. >> reporter: and as he gets ready to greet all of the infielders, he says he's honored to have this role. >> as the protector and the son of preaknegativuous, the god of preakness, i've never considered it a job. >> reporter: andrea fujii, wjz eyewitness news. >> most preakness horses are scheduled to arrive wednesday. for ticket information, log onto wjz.com. click on the link. kegasus. sex scandal to hit one of the most powerful men in the world. what the chief of the imf is accused of doing inside a new york hotel. i'm derek valcourt in towson, where four leaves is becoming an all-too familiar sign. he can't even drive a car. but this 15-year-old is already a college graduate. >> we'll let you ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, it's 5:30. 74 degrees and showers. good evening. thank you for staying with wjz eyewitness news. here are some of the stories people are talking about tonight. showing its strength. tonight, the mississippi is forcing thousands out of their homes. water is being diverted from the river into a huge louisiana spillway. and while big cities could avoid serious damage, many small towns are being prepared to be washed out. randall pinkston reports for wjz from louisiana. empty homes line the streets of butte la rose, louisiana. most of the folks here have packed up and left, now that a flood is headed this way. james o'brien is ready to leave. >> i have one more truckload and then i'll be ready to say goodbye because i don't think my trailer will be here when i get back. >> reporter: they are diverting water into the morganza spillway. the flooding will cover a massive area over the next 10 days and could reach 20 feet high in some places. the government has chosen to flood community in the spillway to spare major cities like baton rouge and new orleans. but that doesn't make it any easier for james solar, who has lived in this home for more than 50 years. >> they ain't going to let these cities drown. they're going to drown us poor people. >> reporter: in butte la rose, the national guard set up road blocks to restrict access to the town. major flooding has not yet reached this area. but officials don't want this resident who have evacuated to come back during the emergency. flooding has ravaged towns for more than two weeks. during his trip to memphis, president obama had met with some of the flood victims in the area. the home is now headed to the morganza ilspillway. >> pray the lord it won't go up to more than three or four feet. i'm protected to about three or four feet. >> people here hope they have a home to return to. >> it will be at least a week before the mississippi river crests at morganza spillway. officials could open more flood gates to preempt it f