Just keeping you guys posted - the trial for Malvo, the younger guy, is still in progress.
Jury Finds Muhammad Guilty of All Charges
By Tamara Jones
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, November 17, 2003; 12:12 PM
VIRGINIA BEACH, Nov. 17 -- John Allen Muhammad was convicted on all charges Monday and now faces either death by lethal injection or life in prison for the slaying of Dean H. Meyers in the Washington-area sniper siege.
The 42-year-old Muhammad stood with hands clasped before him, biting his lower lip as the foreman repeated the word "guilty" four times.
The seven-woman, five-man panel returned the verdict after approximately 6½ hours of deliberation, finding Muhammad guilty of two counts of capital murder, conspiracy and illegal use of a firearm.
Muhammad, a Louisiana native and Gulf War veteran, had pleaded not guilty to the charges in the Oct. 9, 2002, slaying of the 53-year-old Meyers.
One of the requirements for a finding of capital murder is proof beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant was responsible for killing more than one person within the previous three years.
Prosecutors built their case against Muhammad around 16 separate shootings.
The second capital murder charge against Muhammad centers around a new anti-terrorism statute that allows the death penalty if a homicide is committed with an intent to terrorize the public at large or intimidate the government.
During the sniper rampage in October 2002, authorities received communications demanding $10 million "for the killing to stop."
Earlier today, while the jury was deliberating, prosecutors alluded to an alleged escape attempt by Muhammad, but disclosed no details. They did not specify when or where the alleged escape attempt happened, but sheriff's spokeswoman Paula Miller later said it did not occur during Muhammad's pretrial incarceration in Virginia Beach's city jail.
The prosecution also sought to tell jurors during any sentencing phase about the defendant allegedly flooding his jail cell toilet on purpose. Prosecutors said Muhammad's conduct while jailed is relevant. Prince William Circuit Court Judge LeRoy F. Millette Jr. said he would take the matter under advisement.
Also this morning, as the jury deliberated, Millette refused to release any evidence for use in the ongoing trial of Muhammad's alleged accomplice, Lee Boyd Malvo.
"We're not going to give them any evidence 'til you're done with your deliberations," he told the jury.
That physical evidence includes the Bushmaster rifle allegedly linked to the three-week sniper siege that left 10 people dead and three wounded in the Washington area a year ago.
Millette said the legal teams arguing the Malvo capital murder trial in nearby Chesapeake could photograph evidence if necessary.
With the jury out of earshot, defense attorney Jonathan Shapiro sought to limit the number of victim-impact witnesses slated to testify during the penalty phase of the trial.
Prince William County Commonwealth's Attorney Paul Ebert acknowledged that the prosecution plans to call "multiple" witnesses to testify about the impact the shootings had on their lives.
He did not provide numbers or details, but those witnesses are likely to include family members of people killed during the sniper siege and those who survived being shot.
Shapiro argued that victim-impact testimony should be limited to people affected by the Meyers's slaying, since that case is the genesis of the two capital murder charges against Muhammad.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2003Nov17.html
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