Jurors deliberate in sniper trial

Jurors were expected to begin deliberations yesterday in the second trial of a man already convicted for one of the 2002 sniper shootings that spread panic throughout the Washington area.

Over four weeks, prosecutors laid out their case against John Allen Muhammad for six of the murders that took place in the state of Maryland. In closing arguments on Friday, they said Muhammad carefully planned and carried out the shootings with his teenage accomplice, Lee Boyd Malvo, who implicated his former mentor during testimony.

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 two innocent men."

Jurors will weigh Muhammad's conspiracy theory for which he offered little proof and no motive and prosecutors' evidence.

Ten people were killed and three wounded during the three weeks of shootings in October 2002. Victims were shot at gas stations and in parking lots, and a 13-year-old boy was struck by a bullet outside a school.

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 six 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 defence in his first trial.

Muhammad's defence 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. A jury in that state convicted Muhammad of one shooting there, and Malvo was given a life term for another Virginia shooting.

Maryland prosecutors say their case is insurance in the event that Muhammad's Virginia conviction is overturned.

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

Source: China Daily