Young sniper Malvo might get death penalty

[Doom Fanatic]

http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/news/article.adp?id=20031124134109990006&_mpc=news%2e10%2e11

The jury didn't believe he was brainwash by his guardian John Allen Muhammad, either way he's screwed.

[Fredrik]

Another child bites the American dust.

[Gherkin]

Welcome to AOL News. Please log in with your AOL screenname to read the story you have requested.

no.

[Doom Fanatic]

Sorry, for those who don't have AOL, here's the article:

"CHESAPEAKE, Va. (Dec. 18) -- A jury convicted Lee Boyd Malvo of capital murder in the Washington-area sniper case Thursday, rejecting claims that the teenager was brainwashed by John Allen Muhammad into taking part in the three-week reign of terror that left 10 people dead.

The jury now will decide whether Malvo should be sentenced to death or life in prison without parole. A jury in nearby Virginia Beach convicted Muhammad last month and recommended he be executed for his role as the mastermind of the killings.

Malvo, who often had an animated expression during the trial, leaned on his elbows at the table with a blank look on his face as the verdict was read. The jury deliberated for 13 hours over two days before rejecting Malvo's insanity defense.

Malvo, 18, was convicted of two counts of capital murder in the Oct. 14, 2002, killing of FBI analyst Linda Franklin, who was cut down by a single bullet to the head outside a Home Depot in Falls Church, Va. The sentencing phase will begin Friday.

Franklin's daughter, Katrina Hannum, cried after the verdict. Other members of her family and other people in the courtroom patted each other on the shoulders.

''I'm happy,'' said June Boyle, the detective who heard Malvo's confession. ''Not all the way happy yet, though. We still have sentencing to do.''




One of the counts against Malvo alleged the killing was part of a series of murders over a three-year period; the other alleged that Franklin's killing was intended to terrorize the public. Malvo and Muhammad, 42, are the first people tried under the post-Sept. 11 terrorism law.

Attorney General John Ashcroft had cited Virginia's ability to impose ''the ultimate sanction'' in sending Malvo and Muhammad to Virginia for prosecution. Virginia is one of only 21 states that allow the execution of those who were 16 or 17 when they killed. Malvo was 17 at the time of the sniper rampage.

Prosecutors portrayed Malvo as a gleeful and eager triggerman in the October 2002 killing spree, saying he fired shots from the trunk of a beat-up Chevy while Muhammad plotted the attacks.

Ten people were killed and three wounded during the spree - most them as they went about their daily routines. A 13-year-old boy was wounded after being dropped off at school. A mother was gunned down as she vacuumed her minivan at gas station. One victim was mowing grass when he was killed. Another was buying groceries.




Authorities said the killings were part of an attempt to extort $10 million from the government.

During his closing argument, prosecutor Robert F. Horan Jr. called Malvo and Muhammad ''peas in a pod,'' motivated by greed and wickedness.

''Their belief, as wild and vicious as it was, was that if they killed enough people, the government would come around'' and meet their demand for money, Horan said.

During the six-week trial, jurors saw several grisly crime scene photos and heard two police confessions in which a cocky Malvo gloated about the killings.

Malvo chuckled as he recalled how one victim fell after being struck, while the lawnmower he had been pushing rumbled along. And he bragged that he and Muhammad could pull off a shooting regardless of police presence. ''You don't mean nothing,'' he told a detective. ''We will shoot with you there. We shoot with you not there. We will shoot with soldiers there.''

Under interrogation, Malvo claimed initially to be the triggerman in all the Washington-area sniper shootings, but later recanted and said Muhammad was the gunman in all but the final shooting.

The defense argued that Malvo initially took the blame to protect Muhammad, the man he had come to view as a father. The defense said Muhammad had ''indoctrinated'' Malvo with his beliefs about black nationalism, racism, white oppression and revolutionary violence, leaving the young man unable to tell right from wrong. Malvo and Muhammad are black.



According to the defense, Muhammad convinced Malvo that the killings were ''designed to achieve a greater good of a fairer and righteous society.'' Malvo's lawyers called several experts - including an authority on cults and an expert on child soldiers - to argue that Malvo was vulnerable to brainwashing by the older Muhammad because of an unstable childhood in which his mother often dropped out of his life.

''Lee could no more separate himself from John Muhammad than you could separate from your shadow on a sunny day,'' defense attorney Michael Arif said in closing arguments. ''He was not the idea man. He was a puppet, molded like a piece of clay by John Muhammad.''

The decision to convict on capital murder means that the jury believes Malvo was the triggerman in Franklin's death.

The jury could have convicted Malvo of first-degree murder, which would have taken the death penalty off the table. In addition to the murder charges, Malvo was found guilty of using a firearm in a murder.

Malvo and Muhammad could stand trial again. Prosecutors in Maryland and Louisiana have said they want a crack at Muhammad, and Malvo could face a similar fate.

Virginia is one of only six states that have actually executed a juvenile since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

Muhammad was convicted of identical charges for the killing of Dean Harold Meyers at a gas station. The judge could reduce his punishment to life in prison when he sentences Muhammad in February, although Virginia judges rarely overrule a jury's recommendation of death."

http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/news/article.adp?id=20031124134109990006&_mpc=news%2e10%2e11

[Sephiroth]

Doom Fanatic said:

Sorry, for those who don't have AOL, here's the article
[

how can u feel sorry for people without AOL. i am glad not to have AOL

[Ralphis]

Fredrik said:

Another child bites the American dust.

Probably because many innocent people bit his bullet. Can't say he doesn't deserve it.

[Fredrik]

Ralphis said:

Probably because many innocent people bit his bullet. Can't say he doesn't deserve it.

He didn't deserve ending up a murderer in the first place.

[Doom Fanatic]

Sephiroth said:

how can u feel sorry for people without AOL. i am glad not to have AOL

Beleive me, I'm only stuck with AOL. =(

[Sharessa]

Murder isnt a good thing to do, even if they did it first.

[insertwackynamehere]

Fredrik said:

Another child bites the American dust.

It could have been an innocent American child, if the bullet flew anymore straight. He nearly killed another child, but no one feels bad for him. He wasnt killing anyone. Yet the murderer gets the pity. That's just my opinion.

[jute]

fighting fire with fire.

[Tyockell]

The kid is probably just insaine and probably has a major facination with guns anyway hes deffinatly not fit and I think should be locked up.

[Tobester]

heh

he should be released on his own recognizance (or whatever it is) and sent to ohio, where he will be sniped by the new sniper.

[Sharessa]

Damnit, I keep reading the title as "Young super Mario might get death penalty".

[darknation]

insertwackynamehere said:

It could have been an innocent American child, if the bullet flew anymore straight. He nearly killed another child, but no one feels bad for him. He wasnt killing anyone. Yet the murderer gets the pity. That's just my opinion.

Interestingly, pity and justice are the same abstract concepts that don't physically exist.

Now which do you feel? And what sort of person does that make you? Just because someone does not fit in your/our abstract set of values, that gives you the right to demand death and vindication to protect those values?

They have their values; they killed to fulfill those values. Now you have your values, and you are going to kill to protect those. Just because you are in the majority does not give you the right to judge anything or anybody.

"There is no right and wrong, there is only popular opinion."

[Fredrik]

insertwackynamehere said:

Yet [only] the murderer gets the pity.

B.S.

[Erik]

The American justice system makes me sick. That is enough reason to never ever move to the U.S.

[Shaviro]

Another kid who's played too much Doom.

[Grimm]

Damnit, I keep reading the title as "Young super Mario might get death penalty".

Heh, same here.

I dunno. It seems like the poor guy actually might have been brainwashed. In the end though, he's still a vicious killer, and has to pay the price. Sucks.

[fodders]

America may be unique in being a country which has leapt from barbarism to decadence without touching civilization

[Ed]

Fredrik said:

Another child bites the American dust.

This may stray from the point, but since america's jusice system has been brought into question (amongst anything else our european cousins may very well nitpick at), I guess I'll elaborate some.

Now, I expect America to be under a microscope somewhat, being the most powerful country in the world. This I expect, and it'd be reasonable to think that someone, somewhere would take the liberty to question the morals of the American populace. Now, imagine for a second if you will, the average American had the morals of say the average citizen of Comoros or some obscure country you probibly don't care to look into. Not only would Malvo be dead months ago, but his death would come without a trial, without a second or third appeal, and odds are, it would be a savage one at that. There are countrys where you can be put to death simply over an accusation of adultery.

But this is America. Unfair, war-mongering baby killers. Who put innocent people to death for the slaying of a mere ten people, who probibly deserved it anyway.

I won't loose any sleep tonight, I can take the blame and shrug it off, because I know there are millions of truely innocent people dying due to real injustices that noone cares to deal with, because these people offer nothing to us. Who cares about whole african villages being slaughtered by the thousands by the hands of the ones ordaned to protect them. Care about little innocent John Boyd Malvo and the injustice being served to him by the savage American justice system.

[Amaster]

While I certainly agree that Malvo should be locked up, I dont agree with a death sentence. I do tend to believe that he was brainwashed, but that doesnt mean he's not responsibe for what he's done. If nothing else, he should be removed from society in order to protect citizens, as he is clearly a dangerous individual. But as i said before, I dont believe he should be put to death.

[Sephiroth]

Erik said:

The American justice system makes me sick. That is enough reason to never ever move to the U.S.

this is heaven compared to countries like, say, pakistan.
there punishments can be very cruel and sick.

we have come a long way, anyone rember the 1930's. a case involveing 9 (i think) black kids on a train who were acussed of rape. all had been originaly sentenced to death, excet 1, for rape of a girl. most of these kids where under 18, or around that age. the girls case was very faulty and it is a givin that she was lying to aviod prostitution and vagrency( being a hobo) charges.
but death for rape, rape isnt a captial crime. this was al because it was a southern state and the men charged were black.

i have a feeling had the sniper kid been white, he may have gotten life

[Ed]

Sephiroth said:

i have a feeling had the sniper kid been white, he may have gotten life

I'll second that, as unfortunate as that is. And, no, I don't support the death penalty as my above post might suggest. I don't support scapegoating either...

[Grimm]

Yeah fucking right. Stupidity rears its ugly, ugly head. You think race matters in a case like this? Grow the Hell up.

[Sharessa]

Race always matters. It's one of the many sad points of our society.

[Grimm]

Bullshit, not on something like this.

On side note though, I love that avatar.

[Ichor]

Sephiroth said:

i have a feeling had the sniper kid been white, he may have gotten life

He did.

[Sharessa]

Grimm said:

On side note though, I love that avatar.

Twas orion who put that together for me.

[insertwackynamehere]

I agree with Grimm. He shot (not killed) a kid who was African-American. Where does your race and age argument go now?