Jury gets it right twice in a row
John Allen Muhammad has been convicted for 6 more of the murders he and his sidekick, Malvo, committed during their shooting spree a three years ago. The jury came to the proper conclusion again, and I’m glad for it. The only downside appears to be that Maryland doesn’t have the death penalty and Muhammad will likely be sentenced to life without parole.
Muhammad, 45, was convicted Tuesday after a monthlong trial in which he acted as his own attorney. The verdict adds to the death sentence Muhammad previously received for a sniper shooting in Manassas, Va. He faces a likely term of life in prison without parole when he is sentenced Thursday.
The trial also gave family members an explanation, however twisted, for the 2002 rampage in which Muhammad and his one-time protege, Lee Boyd Malvo, took aim at random people. Malvo, testifying for the first time against Muhammad, told jurors that Muhammad’s original plan included far more bloodshed – and plans to bomb children.
“We may never know the whole truth, but we do know without a doubt, 100 percent, that Lee Boyd Malvo and John Allen Muhammad are the ones who committed the murders,” said Vicki Snider, whose brother, James L. “Sonny” Buchanan, was killed while mowing grass near a suburban mall.
The jury took about 4 1/2 hours to reach a verdict about the murders of James Martin, Premkumar Walekar, James “Sonny” Buchanan, Sarah Ramos, Lori Lewis Rivera and Conrad Johnson. In all, 10 people died and three were wounded during the three-week spree.
Muhammad stood grimfaced with his arms folded across chest as it was read. As he was led from the courtroom he said, “Your honor, may I speak?”
“No sir,” Montgomery County Circuit Judge James Ryan answered.
Muhammad’s had his say, both in court and in public where he chose to punctuate his speech with long-range sniper shots. The only just conclusion this affair is to send him back here to Virginia where we do have the death penalty. We’ll take it from here…
