Muhammad rests his defense in sniper trial

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Muhammad rests his defense in sniper trial
By STEPHEN MANNING, Associated Press Writer
Fri May 26, 12:56 PM ET



ROCKVILLE, Md. - John Allen Muhammad closed his defense Friday, opting not to testify after calling just a handful of witnesses in his trial for six Maryland sniper shootings.

Muhammad, who is defending himself, indicated during jury selection that he might take the stand. But when the judge asked him Friday whether he would, he stated, "Muhammad has no intention of testifying."

Judge James Ryan scheduled jury instructions and closing arguments for Friday afternoon, capping four weeks of testimony in Muhammad's second trial for the 2002 sniper spree in the Washington region. He already was convicted of a Virginia shooting and sentenced to death.

Muhammad originally wanted to call hundreds of witnesses, but was limited to just a handful after he missed deadlines and failed to follow proper procedure for issuing subpoenas. Several people who were subpoenaed refused to show up at court because they didn't want to be part of Muhammad's defense.

Muhammad, 45, did not try to counter testimony earlier this week from his accomplice, Lee Boyd Malvo.

Malvo, 21, agreed to plead guilty to the same six Maryland murders this week and gave a detailed, inside account of the planning and execution of the October 2002 shootings.

He said Muhammad devised the scheme to terrorize the region, and planned even more killings. Glaring at the man he had considered a father figure, Malvo said: "You took me into your house and you made me a monster."

Muhammad called only one witness Friday morning, a man who saw a person around a white box truck across the street from the gas station where Premkumar Walekar was killed Oct. 3, 2002. At the time, authorities thought the shooter was driving that type of vehicle. But Steve Olson testified that the truck didn't depart from the scene after he heard the shot.

Ryan on Friday blocked Muhammad from calling Clyde Wilson, a witness to a September 2002 shooting of two Montgomery, Ala., liquor store employees, which Malvo attributed to Muhammad. Muhammad said Wilson chased a man from the scene and later told authorities he didn't match a photo of Malvo.

"The state has said that this community has been victims," Muhammad pleaded to Ryan. "It is even a greater tragedy that this community cannot hear what actually happened."

But Ryan denied the motion, agreeing with prosecutors that the witness was brought up too late in the trial to give prosecutors a chance to prepare.

Outside the courtroom, Wilson, who flew up from Atlanta to testify, said he was disappointed he hadn't been able to. "I don't think it's right," he said. "It seems like someone is trying to obfuscate the truth here."

As Muhammad mounted his short defense, many other witnesses he hoped to call chose to ignore his subpoenas, according to an attorney helping Muhammad with the case.

"I've been threatened, I've been chased off people's property, I've had people's subpoenas balled up and thrown away right in front of me," said J. Wyndal Gordon.

Ryan said he appreciated Gordon's work on witnesses but didn't take any action to compel the reluctant witnesses to appear.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060526/ap_on_re_us/sniper_trial_31;_ylt=A9G_Ry1zXndEPhwBFQMThAQi;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl

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"I've been threatened, I've been chased off people's property, I've had people's subpoenas balled up and thrown away right in front of me," said J. Wyndal Gordon.

hahahhahahha **** YOU ASSHOLE! this **** job killed thier fellow neighbors and the sick **** wants to USE these people in his trial? rot in hell and shove your system up your ass.

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Muhammad jury to weigh conspiracy theory
By STEPHEN MANNING, Associated Press Writer

ROCKVILLE, Md. - Early in his closing argument, John Allen Muhammad laid out the heart of his defense against six murder charges for the 2002 sniper shootings in the Washington area: He and accomplice Lee Boyd Malvo were framed.


"My case is based on one thing. It is very simple. They lied on two innocent men," Muhammad said Friday, before launching into a rambling speech in which he claimed that government agencies conspired to falsely imprison him and that most of the evidence against him was planted.

As jurors begin their deliberations Tuesday in Muhammad's second trial for the sniper attacks, they will have to weigh Muhammad's conspiracy theory — for which he offered little proof and no motive — against the four weeks of testimony and evidence presented by prosecutors.

Witnesses reported seeing Muhammad and his car near shooting scenes. Forensic experts said his DNA was on evidence that included the rifle found in the car when he and Malvo were arrested. Ballistics experts matched the .223-caliber bullets used in the murders to the rifle.

Jurors also heard dramatic testimony from Malvo, whom Muhammad still referred to as "my son" even though his former protege took the stand to say Muhammad planned and carried out most of the shootings.

Muhammad defended himself, showing that he has learned a lot about lawyering from his time in courts here and in Virginia. He appeared comfortable with courtroom procedure. He cross-examined prosecution witnesses, seizing on inconsistencies as he looked for holes to suggest he was set up.

Prosecutors urged jurors not to be fooled by Muhammad's courtroom demeanor. It was just a facade, an act to cover his murderous plans, Assistant State's Attorney Vivek Chopra said in his closing argument.

"Scrub away that veneer that covers this man and see him for what he is," Chopra said, labeling Muhammad "a heartless, soulless, manipulating murderer."

Ten people were killed and three were 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. People were afraid to pump gas, go out in public or send their children to school.

A Virginia jury convicted Muhammad of one shooting in Manassas, Va., and Malvo was given a life term for another Virginia shooting. Maryland prosecutors say their case is insurance in case Muhammad's Virginia conviction is overturned.

Muhammad and Malvo also are suspected in shootings in Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana and Washington state.

The most riveting witness was Malvo, who testified for two days last week. Malvo called Muhammad "a coward" as he confronted his former father figure, detailing each shooting and describing how Muhammad planned them. Muhammad was the shooter in five of the six Montgomery murders, he said.

Malvo detailed Muhammad's more sinister plans, saying he was about to launch "phase two" when the pair were arrested. Children were to be the principal target of that second phase.

Muhammad challenged Malvo's credibility, pointing out that Malvo first told investigators he was the shooter in each incident, then changed his story later. He suggested Malvo was prone to exaggeration, and noted Malvo had used an insanity defense in his first trial.

Muhammad pleaded with jurors Friday not to believe the case against him.

"These cases are not based on logic," he said, his voice rising. "I call these cases the cow jumping over the moon."

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