Conquer Club

D.C. sniper Muhammad executed for 2002 attacks

JARRATT, Va. — John Allen Muhammad, the mastermind behind the sniper attacks that left 10 dead, was executed Tuesday night as relatives of the victims watched, reliving the killing spree that terrorized the Washington metro area for three weeks in October 2002.

He looked calm and stoic, but was twitching and blinking as the injections began, defiant to the end, refusing to utter any final words. Victims' families sat behind glass while watching the execution, separated from the rest of the 27 witnesses.

"He died very peacefully, much more than most of his victims," said Prince William County prosecutor Paul Ebert, who witnessed Muhammad die by injection at 9:11 p.m. at Greensville Correctional Center, south of Richmond. Muhammad, dressed in a blue shirt, jeans and flip-flops, had no final statement.

Muhammad was executed for killing Dean Harold Meyers, who was shot in the head at a Manassas gas station during the three-week spree across Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.

Nelson Rivera, whose wife, Lori Ann Lewis-Rivera, was gunned down as she vacuumed her van at a Maryland gas station said when he watched Muhammad's chest moving for the last time, he was glad.

"I feel better. I think I can breathe better and I'm happy he's gone. Because he's not going to hurt anyone else," he said.

Dean's brother, Bob Meyers, said watching the execution was a point of closure but that he was "overcome by the sadness that the whole situation generates in my heart."

"Honestly it was surreal watching the life being sapped out of somebody intentionally was very different," he said on CNN's "Larry King Live."

J. Wyndal Gordon, one of Muhammad's attorneys, described his client in his final hours as fearless and still insisting he was innocent.

"He will die with dignity — dignity to the point of defiance," Gordon said.

The shootings terrorized the region, as victim after victim was shot down while doing everyday chores: going shopping, pumping gas, mowing the lawn. One child was shot while walking into his middle school.

People stayed indoors. Those who did go outside weaved as they walked or bobbed their heads to make themselves a less easy target.

The campaign of terror ended on Oct. 24, 2002, when police captured Muhammad and his teenage accomplice, Lee Boyd Malvo, as they slept at a Maryland rest stop in a car they had outfitted for a shooter to perch in its trunk without being detected. Malvo is serving a life prison term.

They also were suspected of fatal shootings in other states, including Louisiana, Alabama and Arizona.

The U.S. Supreme Court turned down Muhammad's final appeal Monday and Gov. Timothy M. Kaine denied clemency Tuesday.

HapSmo19 wrote:=D> /5

Serbia wrote:I honestly thought this thread was about colton leaving CC.

perchorin wrote:

Serbia wrote:I honestly thought this thread was about colton leaving CC.

That's the only reason I looked at it.

xelabale wrote:It's a sad state of affairs when a 12 year old gloats over the death of someone under any circumstances.... unless they're simply a troll of course and not 12 at all...

perchorin wrote:

Serbia wrote:I honestly thought this thread was about colton leaving CC.

That's the only reason I looked at it.

nagerous wrote:I never applaud the death penalty, which should not be used in any circumstances - perhaps only in a scenario where a person still alived is viewed as a hero and is acting as an active influence on people still alive by speaking out whilst being incarcerated such as hypothetically with the Nazis and the Nuremberg Trials.

colton24 wrote:

xelabale wrote:It's a sad state of affairs when a 12 year old gloats over the death of someone under any circumstances.... unless they're simply a troll of course and not 12 at all...

The guy sniped 10 people for no reason. And Virginia is where some of my cousins are. They could've been killed

Johnny Rockets wrote:In cases like this the death penalty should be put into play. Any mass murderer or serial killing sociopath has no place in our society, be it behind bars or not.

Someone commits a crime or a multitude of crimes on this level and your willing to fund his incarceration for the next 40-60 years? That's a pretty expensive price tag to avoid some guilt.

I'm not a proponent of the death penalty to be used very freely, but in situations like this I think this element should be removed for the well being of all.

Johnny Rockets

Johnny Rockets wrote:In cases like this the death penalty should be put into play. Any mass murderer or serial killing sociopath has no place in our society, be it behind bars or not.

Someone commits a crime or a multitude of crimes on this level and your willing to fund his incarceration for the next 40-60 years? That's a pretty expensive price tag to avoid some guilt.

I'm not a proponent of the death penalty to be used very freely, but in situations like this I think this element should be removed for the well being of all.

Johnny Rockets

safariguy5 wrote:it's expensive to maintain jails.

Now if there is hope of turning your prisoners into law abiding citizens, I view this as more of an investment in their future productivity. However, in cases where this clearly is not possible like in this instance, I would prefer the death penalty over all that wasted taxpayer money.

HapSmo19 wrote:=D> /5

BigBallinStalin wrote:

HapSmo19 wrote:=D> /5

　
= 1

Snorri1234 wrote:

safariguy5 wrote:it's expensive to maintain jails.

And it is totally not crazy expensive to use the death penalty!

Now if there is hope of turning your prisoners into law abiding citizens, I view this as more of an investment in their future productivity. However, in cases where this clearly is not possible like in this instance, I would prefer the death penalty over all that wasted taxpayer money.

Talking about wasted taxpayer money, how about the death penalty?

safariguy5 wrote: Is that cheaper than the amount of money it takes to do a lethal injection? The answer is no, it is not cheaper.

colton24 wrote:

nagerous wrote:I never applaud the death penalty, which should not be used in any circumstances - perhaps only in a scenario where a person still alived is viewed as a hero and is acting as an active influence on people still alive by speaking out whilst being incarcerated such as hypothetically with the Nazis and the Nuremberg Trials.

I don't like the death penalty either. However, what if the guy breaks out? He goes right back to terrorizing people. I don't approve of the death penalty, but in this case it really wouldn't be right to let him live after killing 10 people for no apparent reason. He even brainwashed his son into killing people that got his son the life sentence.

BigBallinStalin wrote:

colton24 wrote:

nagerous wrote:I never applaud the death penalty, which should not be used in any circumstances - perhaps only in a scenario where a person still alived is viewed as a hero and is acting as an active influence on people still alive by speaking out whilst being incarcerated such as hypothetically with the Nazis and the Nuremberg Trials.

I don't like the death penalty either. However, what if the guy breaks out? He goes right back to terrorizing people. I don't approve of the death penalty, but in this case it really wouldn't be right to let him live after killing 10 people for no apparent reason. He even brainwashed his son into killing people that got his son the life sentence.

OH MY GOD! WHAT IF HE DOES? THEN HE MGIGHT RECRUIT BIG AMRY AND KILL US ALL! EVRYONE DEAD! DEAD EDAEED DEAD DEAD!!

Snorri1234 wrote:

BigBallinStalin wrote:

colton24 wrote:

nagerous wrote:I never applaud the death penalty, which should not be used in any circumstances - perhaps only in a scenario where a person still alived is viewed as a hero and is acting as an active influence on people still alive by speaking out whilst being incarcerated such as hypothetically with the Nazis and the Nuremberg Trials.

I don't like the death penalty either. However, what if the guy breaks out? He goes right back to terrorizing people. I don't approve of the death penalty, but in this case it really wouldn't be right to let him live after killing 10 people for no apparent reason. He even brainwashed his son into killing people that got his son the life sentence.

OH MY GOD! WHAT IF HE DOES? THEN HE MGIGHT RECRUIT BIG AMRY AND KILL US ALL! EVRYONE DEAD! DEAD EDAEED DEAD DEAD!!

We should totally be fearfull of all those dudes who break out of jail and get around to killing people again. But we should also not prevent dudes like Michael Scofield from getting out of jail though.

Snorri1234 wrote:

safariguy5 wrote: Is that cheaper than the amount of money it takes to do a lethal injection? The answer is no, it is not cheaper.

Actually, the answer is yes, it is cheaper. Currently sentencing someone to death is more expensive than putting them into prison for life. The massive amounts of money involved in the appeals process coupled with the higher amount of money put into a trial where the outcome is deathpenalty mean that it's simply cheaper to put him in jail till he dies than to try to kill him.