By Dena Potter
RICHMOND
A circuit court judge has set a Nov. 10 execution date for John Allen Muhammad, mastermind of the 2002 sniper attacks in the Washington, D.C., area.
The attorney general's office had requested a Nov. 9 execution date, but Muhammad's attorney, Jonathan Sheldon said Prince William County Circuit Judge Mary Grace O'Brien delayed it one day, a Tuesday, so that government offices would be open the day before in case of last-minute court action.
Muhammad was sentenced to death for the slaying of Dean Meyers, one of 10 people shot to death during a 2002 rampage that terrorized the Washington, D.C., area. Ten people were killed and three were wounded over a three-week span that began Oct. 2, 2002.
He was found guilty by a Virginia Beach jury that recommended death in late 2003.
In March 2004, a judge imposed the jury's recommendation.
During the sentencing, Virginia Beach Circuit Judge LeRoy F. Millette Jr. said he could not find another crime in the city's history that compared with the rampage carried out by Muhammad and accomplice Lee Boyd Malvo, whose trial in Chesapeake resulted in a life sentence.
Millette said the crimes were "so vile that they were almost beyond comprehension."
Sheldon said Muhammad will appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court and ask the governor for clemency.
Virginian-Pilot writer Cindy Clayton contributed to this report.
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CLEMENCY!!
This proves the guy is a sick cookie! Who would have the nerve to ask for clemency after killing ten people. The victims did not get a trial, they had no appeals, Their life was taken from them instantly and their families are hurting, their lives were turned upside down. How self centered can you possibly be.
This is good time for an execution
In reality six years from sentencing to conviction is actually pretty good time. Most death penalty executions are better than 15 years and millions of tax dollars in appeals before the condemned are finally put to death. I am not a strong advocate against capital punishment for the main reason that the death penalty has gotten more expensive to administer than life emprisonment. However, if anyone deserved to pay the ultimate price for his crime this guy is it. The case to let this guy live is a weak one at best.
Texas has it right
If this had happened in Texas, this human cesspool would have been executed years ago.
To quote Ron White, "In Texas, we have the death penalty and we use it. If you come to Texas and kill somebody, we will kill you back.” and “Other states are trying to abolish the death penalty -- mine's(Texas) putting in an express lane!”
Sleep over at Gov Kaines home
Gov Kaines should put him till Nov.
They can spend some quality time together.
Remember this day tax payers on election day.
This makes no sense.
This makes no sense.
Today
Why do we hard working American pay taxes to sappport this fool for 7 years. What a wast of lives and tax dollars.
We have major issues with this country. The goverment is to big and does not protect or tax dollars.
Poor Mike Vick instant execution for him for fighting dogs.
He paid with his own money for all his fines.
Killing people 7 years free housing,cable,food,gym,internet the list goes on.
Our goverment a joke.
the cost of execution
To the individual that worries about the cost of executing someone in Virginia. Lets look at the costs and savings;
Lets see,
1. a gun - we can get one loaned
2. a bullet or two, probably will get a couple with the loaned gun.
3. a victim, got him already.
4. a wall to stand him against.....think we can find one.
Total cost...............$0.00
The Savings, whatever it costs to keep human debris like him alive for 7 years to long.
can't be
No, how could this be true? After all, the Governor of Virginia is poised to impose his moral and ideological views on the citizens of the Commonwealth. Therefore, Gov Kaine's opposition to the death penalty must result in an end to the death penalty in Virginia.
Isn't this what Creigh Deeds has been warning us about?
Tomorrow
Why not tomorrow???? Tired of paying for this scum of the earth for 7 years!!!
2nd Shortest Time Frame
At last check Virginia had the second shortest time frame from sentencing to the imposition of a Capital Murder punishment Average time is 7 years I think for some reason Texas is able to do in like 6.5 but basically both just wait for the end of the appeals process and take care of business.
While some may feel this is too slow at least this way the government and thus the people (us) can say that the individual was afforded every opportunity through the legal system and was unable to prove their innocence thus he penalty was legitimate.
Note on Urban Institute's stats
Those stats are about the adjudication and incarceration process only. Death penalty cases are usually most complex than your typical murder case. I would imagine a majority of the public would be more interesting in what it costs to keep a life-term murderer in prison versus the adjudication and say three-year incarceration of a death-penalty sentenced prisoners. I picked three years to cover appeals, scientific tests, etc.
Not that this fellow deserves to live
but if your suggestion were followed:
"…three-year incarceration of a death-penalty sentenced prisoners. I picked three years to cover appeals, scientific tests, etc."
then about 100 innocent men would have been executed in the last decade or so.
This is roughly the number of exonerations by DNA on people on death row.
How many innocents were executed before DNA? How many innocents were executed in cases that did not have DNA evidence available or it was destroyed?
Irreversible punishment for an imperfect justice system is a travesty.
Or is it alright to execute some innocent people to make sure we get all the guilty ones?
Maybe just the cost of justice?
Unless, of course, you are the innocent one.
Agree mostly
When there is a conviction without ANY reason to doubt the criminal actions of the perp then I say pop a cap in him/her and call it done. This is certainly the case with this vile animal. Some would say he was mentally unstable. I would say 'DUH' to that observation. Only if the perp is standing over the body strumming his lips would I say there was reason enough to assume he did not know what he'd actually done. Even then it would be questionable. In those cases where there is a conviction on circumstantial evidence then incarcerate and let the appeals flow. Yes, many innocent victims have been executed due to the lack of forensics available today. Many men have been exhonerated for the same reason too. The capability of forensics has greatly diminished the chance of an individual from being wrongly accused or exhonerated. Locking someone up for a lifetime is pointless when every scrape of physical evidence says he/she committed the crime. Some say the death penalty doesn't deter crime but it certainly does deter that criminal!
Why Wait ?
I think they should turn him loose on a back country road after they notify all the family members of his victims he has hurt!
Let them know the time and place of release. This would be a good closure for all. It would also save the state $$$$$ !!
not soon enough
Nov 10th cannot come soon enough. the 7 yrs it has been has been to long to wait to have this one permanently removed from society and for being a liability to the tax payers.
Why wait until Nov. 10th.
Why wait until Nov. 10th. Why not this afternoon or at the latest tomorrow morning.
Right - 7 yrs was way too
Right - 7 yrs was way too long for us to be paying for him to be in prison.
Executions are more costly
While I agree with the death penalty in this case, you should be aware of the costs of executing prisoners vs. life sentences.
Just a few examples:
California--The additional cost of confining an inmate to death row, as compared to the maximum security prisons where those sentenced to life without possibility of parole ordinarily serve their sentences, is $90,000 per year per inmate.
Maryland--A new study released by the Urban Institute on March 6, 2008 forecasted that the lifetime expenses of capitally-prosecuted cases since 1978 will cost Maryland taxpayers $186 million. That translates into at least $37.2 million for each of the state’s five executions since the state reenacted the death penalty. The study estimates that the average cost to Maryland taxpayers for reaching a single death sentence is $3 million - $1.9 million more than the cost of a non-death penalty case.
Federal Costs--The average cost of defending a trial in a federal death case is $620,932, about 8 times that of a federal murder case in which the death penalty is not sought.
Let's use California for an example
$90,000 per year for death row at 7 years equals $630000. $60,000 per year for lifetime incarceration at 50 years equals 3 million. Sounds like a huge savings to me.
WHY
Why is the state waiting so long to KILL this cold blooded killer. If he wins his appeal then we will know something is VERY wrong with this state. In my personal oppinion he should have been "put to sleep" a long time ago. Shouldn't even be a question!!!!!!!!