Jury Recommends Death for Sniper Muhammad
Updated 11:14 AM ET November 24, 2003
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (Reuters) - The jury in the trial of convicted Washington-area sniper John Muhammad recommended on Monday he be sentenced to death for one of 10 fatal shootings that terrorized the U.S. capital last year.
Muhammad stood impassively in front of the jury as the ruling was read out, his hands clasped in front of him. He later shook hands with his attorney, Jonathan Shapiro, before being led away.
The judge tentatively set formal sentencing for Feb. 12 to allow time for any post-trial motions.
The jury's findings came as prosecutors in the trial of his suspected accomplice, Lee Malvo, were set to wrap up their case.
Muhammad and Malvo each were charged with one murder in the series of 10 seemingly random sniper-style killings that spread fear in the Washington area in October 2002.
Muhammad, a 42-year-old Gulf War veteran, was found guilty of two murder counts, conspiracy and a weapons charge on Nov. 17 in the death of Dean Meyers, a Maryland man gunned down at a gas station on Oct. 9, 2002, near Manassas, Virginia.
Attorneys for Malvo, who was 17 when the crimes were committed, plan to argue the teen-ager was brainwashed by Muhammad. He is being tried as an adult in nearby Chesapeake, Virginia, and also faces a possible death sentence.
Both trials were moved 200 miles from the Washington area to southeastern Virginia in search of unbiased juries. Members of both panels have indicated they were aware of the shootings, but said they could make up their minds based only on trial evidence.
Updated 11:14 AM ET November 24, 2003
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (Reuters) - The jury in the trial of convicted Washington-area sniper John Muhammad recommended on Monday he be sentenced to death for one of 10 fatal shootings that terrorized the U.S. capital last year.
Muhammad stood impassively in front of the jury as the ruling was read out, his hands clasped in front of him. He later shook hands with his attorney, Jonathan Shapiro, before being led away.
The judge tentatively set formal sentencing for Feb. 12 to allow time for any post-trial motions.
The jury's findings came as prosecutors in the trial of his suspected accomplice, Lee Malvo, were set to wrap up their case.
Muhammad and Malvo each were charged with one murder in the series of 10 seemingly random sniper-style killings that spread fear in the Washington area in October 2002.
Muhammad, a 42-year-old Gulf War veteran, was found guilty of two murder counts, conspiracy and a weapons charge on Nov. 17 in the death of Dean Meyers, a Maryland man gunned down at a gas station on Oct. 9, 2002, near Manassas, Virginia.
Attorneys for Malvo, who was 17 when the crimes were committed, plan to argue the teen-ager was brainwashed by Muhammad. He is being tried as an adult in nearby Chesapeake, Virginia, and also faces a possible death sentence.
Both trials were moved 200 miles from the Washington area to southeastern Virginia in search of unbiased juries. Members of both panels have indicated they were aware of the shootings, but said they could make up their minds based only on trial evidence.
but a good idea 
