Washington sniper sentenced to death
Last Updated Tue, 09 Mar 2004 12:17:18
MANASSAS, VA. - A U.S. judge sentenced John Allen Muhammad to death on Tuesday for his role in a series of sniper attacks that killed 10 people in Washington, D.C., in October 2002.
John Allen Muhammad (AP file photo)
Circuit Judge LeRoy Millette followed a jury's recommendation in November that Muhammad be executed after being found guilty of two counts of capital murder in the death of Dean Meyers. The 43-year-old Muhammad was also found guilty of terrorism and illegal possession of weapons
Millette ordered Muhammad to be executed on Oct. 14. But appeals will likely postpone the date.
FROM NOV. 24, 2003: Jury recommends death penalty for sniper
"Don't make a fool of the Constitution of the United States of America," Muhammad told the judge Tuesday.
"Just like I said at the beginning: I had nothing to do with this," he said. "And I'll say again: I had nothing to do with this."
The jury recommended Muhammad be put to death after concluding his crimes were "wantonly vile" and that he would pose a danger in the future. Millette could have reduced the punishment to life in prison without parole but it's rare for judges to take such action.
Meyers was gunned down at a gas station in Virginia on Oct. 9, 2002.
During the trial, the prosecution conceded that Muhammad, a Gulf War veteran, may not have pulled the trigger, but was the mastermind behind the shootings that terrorized the people of several states in October 2002.
The prosecution argued that Muhammad directly controlled the actions of his accomplice, Lee Malvo, who was also convicted in one of the shootings.
The defence argued that Muhammad should be found innocent because he did not pull the trigger that killed Meyers and that there was no proof that a father-son relationship led to the murders.
In December, a jury sentenced Malvo, 18, to life in prison for his role in the series of shootings.
FROM DEC. 23, 2003: Teen sniper Malvo spared death penalty
He was found guilty of terrorism, capital murder and use of a firearm in the killing of FBI analyst Linda Franklin on Oct. 14, 2002.
Last Updated Tue, 09 Mar 2004 12:17:18
MANASSAS, VA. - A U.S. judge sentenced John Allen Muhammad to death on Tuesday for his role in a series of sniper attacks that killed 10 people in Washington, D.C., in October 2002.
John Allen Muhammad (AP file photo)
Circuit Judge LeRoy Millette followed a jury's recommendation in November that Muhammad be executed after being found guilty of two counts of capital murder in the death of Dean Meyers. The 43-year-old Muhammad was also found guilty of terrorism and illegal possession of weapons
Millette ordered Muhammad to be executed on Oct. 14. But appeals will likely postpone the date.
FROM NOV. 24, 2003: Jury recommends death penalty for sniper
"Don't make a fool of the Constitution of the United States of America," Muhammad told the judge Tuesday.
"Just like I said at the beginning: I had nothing to do with this," he said. "And I'll say again: I had nothing to do with this."
The jury recommended Muhammad be put to death after concluding his crimes were "wantonly vile" and that he would pose a danger in the future. Millette could have reduced the punishment to life in prison without parole but it's rare for judges to take such action.
Meyers was gunned down at a gas station in Virginia on Oct. 9, 2002.
During the trial, the prosecution conceded that Muhammad, a Gulf War veteran, may not have pulled the trigger, but was the mastermind behind the shootings that terrorized the people of several states in October 2002.
The prosecution argued that Muhammad directly controlled the actions of his accomplice, Lee Malvo, who was also convicted in one of the shootings.
The defence argued that Muhammad should be found innocent because he did not pull the trigger that killed Meyers and that there was no proof that a father-son relationship led to the murders.
In December, a jury sentenced Malvo, 18, to life in prison for his role in the series of shootings.
FROM DEC. 23, 2003: Teen sniper Malvo spared death penalty
He was found guilty of terrorism, capital murder and use of a firearm in the killing of FBI analyst Linda Franklin on Oct. 14, 2002.