Jun 1, 2006 2:18 pm US/Eastern
The John Allen Muhammad Sniper Trial
by Alex DeMetrick
ROCKVILLE, Md. (AP) ―
John Allen Muhammad is on his way back to Virginia's death row.
Montgomery County's chief deputy sheriff says the twice-convicted Washington-area sniper was taken immediately from a Maryland courtroom after his sentencing today and sent back to Virginia. Muhammad already has been sentenced to death for a sniper killing in Virginia.
Earlier today, Muhammad was sentenced to six consecutive life terms with no possibility of parole, a sentence Maryland prosecutors described as insurance in case his Virginia death sentence is ever overturned.
"You, Mr. Muhammad, have no hope. You have no future. You will spend every day for the rest of your life locked in a cage," said Montgomery County Circuit Judge James Ryan.
Muhammad showed no emotion, but stood with his head bowed as the sentence was announced. Some in the audience applauded.
Muhammad, 45, was convicted of murder Tuesday in six of the 10 deadly sniper attacks that terrorized the Washington area for three weeks in October 2002.
His young accomplice, Lee Boyd Malvo, took the stand at the Maryland trial and told jurors for the first time how the older man, his one-time mentor, trained him to shoot and drew him into a plan to kill people indiscriminately.
Malvo gave chilling details about Muhammad's larger plan to shoot six people daily for 30 days, then plant explosives on school buses in an effort to target children. Muhammad eventually wanted to train homeless children about weapons then send them to shut down commerce in cities with shootings and bombs.
Muhammad defended himself throughout the trial, firing his court-appointed lawyers in March.
Muhammad questioned Malvo's credibility during the trial, saying the 21-year-old he still refers to as "son" had problems with exaggeration and memory. He noted that Malvo, who implicated Muhammad in almost all the sniper shootings on the stand, had earlier confessed to investigators that he was the triggerman in all 13 shootings.
During his short defense case and lengthy closing argument, Muhammad claimed he was framed by investigators who planted and fabricated evidence. He said he was the victim of a broad conspiracy involving a broad swath of law enforcement.
But jurors deliberated for less than five hours before finding Muhammad guilty. One juror said after the verdict that Muhammad failed to discredit the strong evidence prosecutors presented against him.
Other states still have outstanding charges against Muhammad from earlier sniper shootings, including Louisiana and Alabama. It will be up to Virginia whether to send him away again for further prosecution.
Malvo, who is expected to plead guilty to the same six Maryland murders, will likely remain in Maryland until he formally enters the plea in October.
Maryland prosecutors decided not to pursue capital punishment, saying the state's narrow death penalty law would have been difficult to apply in Muhammad's case.
Stay with
Eyewitness News and WJZ.COM for complete coverage on the John Allen Muhammad sniper trial.
(© 2006 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
