Washington sniper faces execution
The man behind the 2002 sniper attacks in and around Washington DC will be put to death later, after a last-ditch appeal was thrown out. John Allen Muhammad’s lawyers say he is mentally ill, but Virginia Governor Tim Kaine rejected a plea for clemency. On Monday, the US Supreme Court quashed an appeal for a stay of execution. Muhammad, 48, will face a lethal injection for the murder of Dean Harold Meyers, one of 10 people killed during the attacks. Muhammad’s accomplice, Lee Boyd Malvo, who was 17 at the time of the shootings, is serving a life sentence in jail. A psychiatrist examined him and said he’s paranoid and psychotic and delusional Jonathan Sheldon Lawyer Timeline: Sniper killings Motive remains a mystery The pair killed 10 people during three weeks of attacks in Maryland, Washington and Virginia. Muhammad is due to be put to death at the Greensville Correctional Center in Jarratt, Virginia. But his legal team has criticised the ruling, saying ex-soldier Muhammad suffered from Gulf War Syndrome. Lawyer Jonathan Sheldon told the BBC’s World Today: “A psychiatrist examined him and said he’s paranoid and psychotic and delusional and gave many examples.” Mr Sheldon also said brain scans of Muhammad had revealed malformations linked to schizophrenia. FROM BBC WORLD SERVICE Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. More from BBC World Service The shootings left the Washington area gripped by fear, with victims attacked while shopping, outside schools, or just sitting and reading. Mr Meyers was shot at a petrol station in Manassas, Virginia. A skilled marksman, Muhammad picked off his targets using a sniper rifle, always with a single round and from a distance. After three weeks, he was arrested at a truck stop, along with Malvo. Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Seven years on, Washington residents recall sense of fear while sniper was on the loose Prosecutors say Muhammad has never shown remorse. In addition to the 10 people they killed around the Washington area, the pair are suspected of murders in other states, including Louisiana, Alabama and Arizona. Cheryll Witz is one of several victims’ relatives going to watch Muhammad’s execution. Malvo said he shot her father, Jerry Taylor – at Muhammad’s direction – on an Arizona golf course in March 2002. “He basically watched my dad breathe his last breath,” she told the Associated Press news agency. “Why shouldn’t I watch his last breath?” THE SNIPER SHOOTINGS 1 and 2. A shot fired in Aspen Hill, north of Washington DC on 2 October. James D Martin is later killed in Wheaton 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7. The following day, James “Sonny” Buchanan, Prenkumar Walekar, Sarah Ramos, Lori Ann Lewis-Rivera and Pascal Charlot are all shot dead in areas to the north of the city 8. On 4 October a woman is shot at a mall in Fredericksburg, Virginia 9. On 7 October a 13-year-old schoolboy is shot at Benjamin Tasker Middle School in Prince George County 10 and 11. Dean Harold Meyers is shot dead in Manassas, Virginia on 9 October. Two days later, Kenneth H Bridges is killed near Fredericksburg 12. Linda Franklin is shot dead at a shopping centre in northern Virginia on 14 October 13. A 37-year-old man is shot in Ashland, south of Washington on 19 October 14. Conrad Johnson is killed on 22 October in the Aspen Hill area
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Washington sniper faces execution
