Post by sclcookie on May 30, 2006 11:12:05 GMT -5
Jury to Begin Deliberations in Sniper Case
Over 4 weeks, prosecutors laid out their case against John Allen Muhammad
for 6 murders in the 2002 Washington-area sniper shootings.
In closing arguments Friday, they said Muhammad carefully planned and
carried out the shootings with accomplice Lee Boyd Malvo, who implicated
his former mentor.
But Muhammad claimed government agencies collaborated to pin the crime on
him and Malvo, saying, "My case is based on one thing. It is very simple.
They lied on 2 innocent men."
Jurors are expected to begin deliberations Tuesday, weighing Muhammad's
conspiracy theory -- for which he offered little proof and no motive --
and prosecutors' evidence.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing Muhammad and his Chevrolet Caprice near
shooting scenes. Forensic experts said his DNA was on evidence that
included parts of the Bushmaster rifle found in the Caprice when he and
Malvo were arrested. Ballistics experts matched the .223-caliber bullets
used in the murders to the Bushmaster.
Muhammad served as his own lawyer and cross-examined government witnesses,
seizing on inconsistencies in reports and looking for holes to suggest he
was set up.
Perhaps the most riveting witness was Malvo, who detailed each shooting
and described how Muhammad planned them. He said Muhammad was the shooter
in five of the 6 Maryland murders and explained Muhammad's more sinister
plans to later target children with bombs.
During cross-examination, Muhammad challenged Malvo's credibility,
pointing out Malvo first told investigators he was the only shooter. He
suggested Malvo was prone to exaggeration, and noted Malvo used an
insanity defense in his 1st trial.
Muhammad's defense was hampered by his failure to follow proper courtroom
procedure and the reluctance of witnesses to testify for him.
Muhammad came to Maryland from Virginia's death row, already labeled the
Washington sniper by a Virginia jury that heard most of the same evidence
in 2003.
10 people were killed and three wounded during the three weeks of
shootings in October 2002. Muhammad and Malvo were arrested Oct. 24, 2002,
as they slept in the Caprice at a western Maryland rest stop. Behind the
back seat was the Bushmaster. Authorities discovered a hole bored in trunk
of the Caprice, allowing a shooter to lie inside to fire.
A Virginia jury convicted Muhammad of a sniper shooting in Manassas, Va.,
and Malvo was given a life term for another Virginia shooting. Maryland
prosecutors say their case is insurance if Muhammad's initial conviction
is overturned.
The 2 men also are suspected in shootings in Alabama, Arizona, Georgia,
Louisiana and Washington state.
(source: Associated Press)
Over 4 weeks, prosecutors laid out their case against John Allen Muhammad
for 6 murders in the 2002 Washington-area sniper shootings.
In closing arguments Friday, they said Muhammad carefully planned and
carried out the shootings with accomplice Lee Boyd Malvo, who implicated
his former mentor.
But Muhammad claimed government agencies collaborated to pin the crime on
him and Malvo, saying, "My case is based on one thing. It is very simple.
They lied on 2 innocent men."
Jurors are expected to begin deliberations Tuesday, weighing Muhammad's
conspiracy theory -- for which he offered little proof and no motive --
and prosecutors' evidence.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing Muhammad and his Chevrolet Caprice near
shooting scenes. Forensic experts said his DNA was on evidence that
included parts of the Bushmaster rifle found in the Caprice when he and
Malvo were arrested. Ballistics experts matched the .223-caliber bullets
used in the murders to the Bushmaster.
Muhammad served as his own lawyer and cross-examined government witnesses,
seizing on inconsistencies in reports and looking for holes to suggest he
was set up.
Perhaps the most riveting witness was Malvo, who detailed each shooting
and described how Muhammad planned them. He said Muhammad was the shooter
in five of the 6 Maryland murders and explained Muhammad's more sinister
plans to later target children with bombs.
During cross-examination, Muhammad challenged Malvo's credibility,
pointing out Malvo first told investigators he was the only shooter. He
suggested Malvo was prone to exaggeration, and noted Malvo used an
insanity defense in his 1st trial.
Muhammad's defense was hampered by his failure to follow proper courtroom
procedure and the reluctance of witnesses to testify for him.
Muhammad came to Maryland from Virginia's death row, already labeled the
Washington sniper by a Virginia jury that heard most of the same evidence
in 2003.
10 people were killed and three wounded during the three weeks of
shootings in October 2002. Muhammad and Malvo were arrested Oct. 24, 2002,
as they slept in the Caprice at a western Maryland rest stop. Behind the
back seat was the Bushmaster. Authorities discovered a hole bored in trunk
of the Caprice, allowing a shooter to lie inside to fire.
A Virginia jury convicted Muhammad of a sniper shooting in Manassas, Va.,
and Malvo was given a life term for another Virginia shooting. Maryland
prosecutors say their case is insurance if Muhammad's initial conviction
is overturned.
The 2 men also are suspected in shootings in Alabama, Arizona, Georgia,
Louisiana and Washington state.
(source: Associated Press)