The Trial of the Beltway Snipers

 Why did an uncle and nephew duo commit such heinous murders of innocent strangers?

The story of Lee Boyd Malvo and his uncle, John Allen Muhammad, is fascinating because they terrorized the citizens of northeast America for an extensive period. They preyed on innocent strangers filling gas or walking back to their car after shopping at convenience by firing at them with a sniper through a small hole made in their vehicle to view and target victims. Additionally, they were uniquely interesting because of their relationship and the alleged "brainwashing" done by Muhammad to ensure that Malvo accompanied him on his violent path and committed more atrocities.

The D.C. Sniper Attacks

While Malvo and Muhammad had many victims over an extended period, their most well-known killing spree occurred in Virginia from October 2 to October 4, 2002. At 5:20 p.m. on Wednesday, October 2, 2002, a shot was fired through a Michaels store in Aspen Hill window. The bullet nearly hit a cashier at the store. But since nobody was hurt from the gunfire, no serious concerns were raised. However, approximately one hour later, at 6:30 p.m., James Martin, a 55-year-old man, was shot and killed in the parking lot of a Shoppers Food Warehouse grocery store in Wheaton. But the killers didn't stop there; they sniped and killed four more people on October 3. The snipers continued for an extended time after October 4, and fear of them quickly spread among Virginians. People feared gas stations and convenience store parking lots and feared for their children when they were at school. The police had quickly linked Malvo and Muhammad to the shooting and started an extensive manhunt to find the two. On October 24, 2002, just 20 days after their largest massacre, Lee Boyd Malvo and John Allen Muhammad were found sleeping in their car in rural Maryland. They were arrested and charged with different crimes. Muhammad was accused of murder, terrorism, conspiracy, and illegal firearm use and faced a possible death sentence. And Malvo was charged with 6 counts of murder in multiple states. 

The Trial of John Allen Muhammad

The trial of John Allen Muhammad was extraordinarily open and shut. The prosecution focused their case on the DNA evidence that linked Malvo and Muhammad to the crimes and atrocities committed. Due to this, the Virginia jury quickly convicted Muhammad of all crimes and recommended the death sentence be handed to him. Muhammad was executed at the Greensville Correctional Center on September 16, 2009, after his petition to stay his execution was denied. 

The Trial of Lee Boyd Malvo

After Malvo was arrested and sent to a Virginia prison to wait for his trial, he confessed to a detective that he "intended to kill" all his victims. Yet when the trial began, Malvo pleaded "not guilty" by reason of insanity. Malvo's defense team, led by Craig Cooley, focused their case on Muhammad and how he brainwashed Malvo into doing these horrendous acts of violence. He added that he was under Muhammad's complete control. They brought one of Malvo's psychiatric witnesses to testify that Muhammad, a member of the Nation of Islam, had groomed Malvo to believe that the proceeds of an extortion attempt would be used to begin a new nation of only pure black young persons somewhere in Canada. They also linked the continuous use of violent video games to the desensitization of Malvo and bringing him to accept his role as a sniper for Muhammad. During his trial, Malvo admitted that he was trained to execute the attacks by shooting a real gun at paper plates representing human heads. The defender also invited leading experts to speak about Malvo's long history of antisocial and criminal behavior, including torturing small animals, one of the best predictors of future violent criminal behavior. The defense sought to portray Malvo as a crazy kid who had been a violent menace from a young age. They presented all the evidence that pointed to Malvo being groomed by Muhammad and connected these to events in his childhood. Yet, even though this form of defense was unique and well thought out, the prosecution fought to utilize these stories and portray Malvo as a psychopath rather than an insane person. By the end of the trial, the prosecution had built a stronger case, which led to the conviction of Lee Boyd Malvo on December 10th, 2003, after 14 hours of deliberation by the jury. On December 18, 2003, after nearly 14 hours of deliberation, a jury convicted Malvo of both charges. On December 23, the jury recommended a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Malvo was sentenced to life in prison without parole. However, the life sentence was overturned in 2016 when Virginia abolished life without parole for juveniles.