Word: malvo
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John Allen Muhammad and John Lee Malvo, the prime suspects in the sniper attacks that left 10 dead and three wounded in the Washington, D.C. area, face murder charges in Maryland, Virginia and Alabama, and are also considered suspects in a February killing in Washington state. This week, the Justice Department filed 20 federal weapons and extortion charges against Muhammad. The same counts were levied against Malvo privately; his age prevents him from being charged or tried publicly. The big question: Where will they be tried first...
...Because the men are currently in federal custody, John Ashcroft will likely have final say over where Muhammad and Malvo will be tried first. They can be tried more than once and sentenced to death in more than one jurisdiction, but the first trial will be the newsmaker - and career-maker - while the later trials will fade into the background. The first judgment will also be the first to be carried out; a quick death sentence would render following trials moot...
...interruption of interstate commerce. Not exactly sexy stuff, but designed to ensure relatively speedy justice to alleged criminals who have the poor sense to commit their crimes without regard to state lines - and provides the death penalty for those found guilty. As a juvenile, the 17-year-old Malvo is eligible for execution only if he's found guilty in Virginia and Alabama; Maryland and federal statutes forbid the execution of minors...
...federal charges traditionally take precedence over state murder changes, some legal experts believe the states have stronger cases (multiple first degree murder counts). And many locals insist the privilege of the first trial should go to Montgomery County, Maryland, where six murder charges have been filed against Muhammad and Malvo - by far the most in a single state. "This case should be initiated in Montgomery County," Douglas Gansler, the Montgomery County state's attorney, said in an interview with the New York Times. "Our families were terrorized and paralyzed by these shootings, and they were disproportionately affected by this...
...seems Muhammad and Malvo have had a busy few months: authorities believe they may be responsible for a fatal robbery at a Montgomery, Alabama liquor store in September. Malvo?s fingerprints were picked up on a magazine found at the crime scene...