[Vision2020] Muhammad Found Guilty On 6 Counts Of Murder

[J Ford]

By STEPHEN MANNING, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 39 minutes ago

ROCKVILLE, Md. — A Maryland jury has found John Allen Muhammad guilty of six 
counts of murder for the October 2002 Washington-area sniper shootings.
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The announcement Tuesday afternoon followed four weeks of prosecutors, 
experts and witnesses presenting evidence against Muhammad and Muhammad 
defending himself with the argument that he had been framed.

Acting as his own attorney, Muhammad told the jury in his closing argument 
Friday that he was only in the Washington area during those three terrifying 
weeks to search for his ex-wife and children. He said government agencies 
planted evidence and collaborated to pin the crime on him and teenager Lee 
Boyd Malvo.

"My case is based on one thing. It is very simple. They lied on two innocent 
men," Muhammad said.

Prosecutors told the jury that Muhammad carefully planned and carried out 
the shootings with teenage accomplice Lee Boyd Malvo, who implicated his 
former mentor for the first time on the stand.

Both men had previously been convicted in attacks in Virginia, and Muhammad 
was sentenced to death there. In Maryland, Muhammad is being tried in six of 
the 10 deadly shootings.

Maryland prosecutors said Malvo had agreed to a plea deal, and last week, 
the young man gave a chilling account of Muhammad's planning for the October 
2002 shooting spree.

Muhammad planned two phases, Malvo said, the first shooting six people a day 
for a month, the second targeting children and police with explosives. He 
ultimately wanted to extort $10 million from authorities and use the money 
to teach homeless children how to use guns and explosives at a Canadian 
compound, Malvo said.

Malvo also said that Muhammad was the shooter in five of the six Maryland 
murders.

Prosecutors called eyewitnesses who said they saw 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 seized on inconsistencies during his cross-examination but offered 
little proof for his conspiracy theory and no motive. His defense was also 
hampered by his failure to follow proper courtroom procedure and the 
reluctance of witnesses to testify for him.

Ten 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 two men also are suspected in shootings in Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, 
Louisiana and Washington state.

J  :]

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