Va. Gov Denies Clemency to DC Sniper

Execution set for tomorrow as request for more time fails

(NEWSER) - The Supreme Court has rejected an emergency appeal from John Allen Muhammad, also known as the Beltway sniper, clearing the way for his execution tomorrow. Muhammad’s lawyers said he needed more time to prepare his appeals. Although justices Stevens, Ginsburg, and Sotomayor questioned Virginia law for not affording convicts a year to file appeals, they found no reason to make an exception for Muhammad, the Los Angeles Times reports. More»

Lee Boyd Malvo writes letter, is 'relieved' man is alive and well

(NEWSER) - Lee Boyd Malvo, the younger of the DC snipers, apologized to his first victim by letter this week. Malvo shot the Louisiana man in 2002 in what police figure was a test of loyalty to the older sniper, John Allen Muhammad. The pair slashed John Gaeta's tires in a mall parking lot, then Malvo shot him point-blank in the neck as he was trying to put on the spare. Though Gaeta wasn't seriously wounded, he played dead while the two grabbed his wallet. More»

John Allen Muhammad 'quiet and relaxed' before lethal injection

(NEWSER) - The state of Virginia executed John Allen Muhammad, the so-called Beltway sniper, tonight, with the man who led the 2002 shooting spree that killed 10 dying of lethal injection at 9:11 EST. The 48-year-old was “quiet and relaxed,” a prison official tells CBS’ Andrew Cohen . “I didn’t hear him utter a word.” More»

(NEWSER) - John Allen Muhammad, the mastermind behind the sniper attacks that rocked the Southeast in 2002, will be executed on Nov. 10, the AP reports. The attorney general’s office had requested a Nov. 9 execution, but a Virginia judge chose to set it a day later so that it would fall on a Tuesday, allowing for last-minute appeals. Muhammad’s lawyer says he’ll appeal to the Supreme Court and ask Gov. Tim Kaine for clemency. More»

Pharma firm opposes 'distressing misuse' of epilepsy drug

(NEWSER) - Virginia has become the latest state to execute an inmate using a new cocktail of drugs for the lethal injection despite the manufacturer's objections. Jerry Jackson, 30, was executed for the 2001 rape and murder of an 88-year-old widow, Reuters reports. Pentobarbital, a drug used to treat epilepsy, was used as a sedative because of a nationwide shortage of sodium thiopental. Its maker, Danish pharmaceutical firm Lundbeck, says it is horrified by the use of the drug in executions. More»