May 15, 2006 8:13 am US/Eastern
Jury To Hear About Final Sniper Killing
ROCKVILLE, Md. (AP) ―
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John Allen Muhammad (File)
AP
For two weeks, prosecutors in John Allen Muhammad's murder trial detailed 12 of 13 Washington-area sniper shootings as they try to demonstrate a pattern of terror that points to the defendant. The jury was expected to hear evidence from the final killing as the trial enters its third week Monday.
Already on death row in Virginia for one sniper murder, Muhammad is on trial now for six Maryland homicides. Montgomery County prosecutors have built a chronological case against him, laying out the October 2002 shooting spree that left 10 dead and three wounded.
Last week, the three told jurors of the confusion, fear and pain they felt when they realized they had been struck by a sniper bullet. Family members of those who died also took the stand, describing their shock when they learned of the killings.
This week, prosecutors are expected to recount the final shooting, the Oct. 22, 2002, slaying of bus driver Conrad Johnson, who was killed in his bus at dawn before his shift began. Two days later, Muhammad and accomplice Lee Boyd Malvo were arrested at a highway rest stop with a high-powered Bushmaster rifle in the trunk of their car.
Prosecutors have forensic evidence that most of the .223-caliber bullets used came from the Bushmaster. Muhammad's DNA was found on the gun. Jurors are also expected to see the car, which was rigged with a hole in the trunk where a shooter could fire undetected.
Muhammad, who is acting as his own attorney, asked many witnesses whether they saw the shooter or have "direct knowledge" about the culprit. All said no. He questioned whether witnesses' memories were swayed by media coverage after his arrest.
Muhammad maintains his innocence, saying in his opening statement that he and Malvo were simply in the area to look for his children, who had been taken by his ex-wife.
Malvo, serving a life term in Virginia, is scheduled to go on trial in the fall for the same six killings, but he may plead guilty and testify in Muhammad's case.
They have also been linked to earlier shootings in Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia and Washington state.
(© 2006 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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