BREAKING NEWS: Sniper sentenced to death

[Ben E Lou]

Sniper Muhammad sentenced to death (http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/03/09/sniper/index.html)

http://i.cnn.net/cnn/images/1.gif
http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2004/LAW/03/09/sniper/top.muhammad.pool.jpg (http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/03/09/sniper/index.html)

Convicted sniper John Allen Muhammad was today sentenced to death for killing Dean Harold Meyers -- one of 10 people shot to death during the October 2002 sniper shootings.

FULL STORY (http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/03/09/sniper/index.html)

[JonInMiddleGA]

Y'know, justice would be served even better if they didn't let him know when the needle was coming, just let the bastard sit & wonder whether his number was up each day.

[stevew]

Y'know, justice would be served even better if they didn't let him know when the needle was coming, just let the bastard sit & wonder whether his number was up each day.


Exactly.....he could be reading in the yard, then POWWWWW.

[Buzzbee]

Y'know, justice would be served even better if they didn't let him know when the needle was coming, just let the bastard sit & wonder whether his number was up each day.

Needle? Who says they should use a needle? I say they should unleash a pack of angry, starving pit bulls.

[MrBug708]

Let him lose, in Maryland. I'm sure the victims families have a few things to share with him

[BigJohn&TheLions]

An eye for an eye... Firing squad! The needle is the loser way to do it (wipe with alcohol first...

[Dutch]

Y'know, justice would be served even better if they didn't let him know when the needle was coming, just let the bastard sit & wonder whether his number was up each day.

Justice would be served if they provided low quality capital punishment to all scumbags like this and put all money's saved towards college scholoarships towards the victims family or other kids in more need of our tax dollars.

[stevew]

The silly thing is that they will let him wait probably 2-4 years to get his punishment. I wish the cops would have just bumrushed his car, guns-a-blazing. That way we could have all saved money, and that little fuck who was shooting people with him would have died too.

[BigJohn&TheLions]

Would this be a bad time to bring up the disproportionate number of black men on death row?

[stevew]

Would this be a bad time to bring up the disproportionate number of black men on death row?

Yep. This guy is a classic death penalty guy. This is why you have the death penalty.

[sachmo71]

Death for death doesn't make sense to me. I never get it, I suppose.

[rkmsuf]

Death for death doesn't make sense to me. I never get it, I suppose.

Yeah it's kind of odd. Life in a real deal prison would seem like a far worse penalty...

Even forcing him to watch Beaches 3 times a day for the rest of his life would suffice...

[Subby]

Let him lose, in Maryland. I'm sure the victims families have a few things to share with himJust because he is a cold-blooded killer doesn't mean the victims' families are...

[Buzzbee]

Death for death doesn't make sense to me. I never get it, I suppose.

Some would argue that using the death penalty can be a deterrent for people to commit crimes. If they know they might get the death penalty, then they might think twice about whatever it is they might do to warrant the death penalty. So, using these convicted murderers as an example is some peoples justification. Also, it costs less to fry someone than it does to keep them in jail for the rest of their lives.

NOTE: The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of this station or its management.

[Noble_Platypus]

Death for death doesn't make sense to me. I never get it, I suppose.
I wonder if you would still have a peacenik attitude like that if he had blown away someone you knew. Fuck it, kill him and the little bastard that was the triggerman

[sachmo71]

Call me what you will, but if someone killed a member of my family, having them killed would not make me feel better, nor would it make my family member any less dead.

[rkmsuf]

Some would argue that using the death penalty can be a deterrent for people to commit crimes. If they know they might get the death penalty, then they might think twice about whatever it is they might do to warrant the death penalty. So, using these convicted murderers as an example is some peoples justification. Also, it costs less to fry someone than it does to keep them in jail for the rest of their lives.

NOTE: The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of this station or its management.

A lifetime of anal invasion may make some folk think twice also...

[Subby]

I wonder if you would still have a peacenik attitude like that if he had blown away someone you knew. Fuck it, kill him and the little bastard that was the triggermanHow is that a peacenik attitude? Killing him won't bring any of those folks back to life...

[Buzzbee]

A lifetime of anal invasion may make some folk think twice also...

Yeah, they might decide they like it.

[rkmsuf]

Yeah, they might decide they like it.

True; I should stick with the continous screening of Beaches. No one could like that...

[Ryche]

Actually, with all the appeals that are generally granted in death penalty cases, it usually ends up costing more to execute someone.

That said, this guy is a textbook case of proper use of the death penalty to me.

[BigJohn&TheLions]

A lifetime of anal invasion may make some folk think twice also...
Some people might commit crimes for this... What do you think he and the kid were doing after the shootings? Playing yahtzee?

I'm not so big on the death penalty, but this is a case where it is warrented. I'm a much bigger fan of prison justice (aka Jeffrey Dalmer)

[Buzzbee]

Actually, with all the appeals that are generally granted in death penalty cases, it usually ends up costing more to execute someone.

That said, this guy is a textbook case of proper use of the death penalty to me.

Just curious, is the appeals process different for death penalty cases as opposed to life in prison cases? Seems like it would end up being a wash or perhaps slightly more costly for death penalty cases (since there might be a proclivity to accept appeals more often or to take them higher up the chain).

[Fritz]

He would have been better off being tried in NoVa.

[wig]

I don't want the death penalty, I just want his death.

[Franklinnoble]

I like the gas chamber concept... but instead of strapping the convicts down, just let them run around the room choking, screaming, crying, and banging on the walls.

[JeeberD]

Death for death doesn't make sense to me. I never get it, I suppose.


You can no longer call yourself a Texan. Time to move to Oklahoma, Sach...

[Franklinnoble]

You can no longer call yourself a Texan. Time to move to Oklahoma, Sach...

That's like telling a fraternity to start having Old Milwaukee at their keg parties instead of Natty light...

[mckerney]

And the sniper who's killed more than twice as many in Ohio: still back page news.

[Noble_Platypus]

And the sniper who's killed more than twice as many in Ohio: still back page news.


Wouldnt be on the back page if they started picking off people around the Capitol like Muhammad and Malvo. Then it would warrent a task force and some media coverage.

[Samdari]

And the sniper who's killed more than twice as many in Ohio: still back page news.

From a February 16 cnn article:

"Using ballistics and other means, authorities in Ohio have linked 23 previous shootings on or near the southwest corridor of Interstate 270, which circles Columbus. Gail Knisley, 62, was killed November 25 when a bullet pierced her car window as she rode on 270. No other injuries have been reported. "

Sounds like this guy has only killed one person, while being involved in more shootings.

[rkmsuf]

From a February 16 cnn article:

"Using ballistics and other means, authorities in Ohio have linked 23 previous shootings on or near the southwest corridor of Interstate 270, which circles Columbus. Gail Knisley, 62, was killed November 25 when a bullet pierced her car window as she rode on 270. No other injuries have been reported. "

Sounds like this guy has only killed one person, while being involved in more shootings.

I guess it's ok if he only wounded or just missed the other 23...;)

[Castlerock]

And the sniper who's killed more than twice as many in Ohio: still back page news.
There's a sniper in Ohio who has killed 20 (+) people? Do you mean this guy?
Authorities in Ohio have linked 23 previous shootings on or near the southwest corridor of Interstate 270, which circles Columbus. Gail Knisley, 62, was killed November 25 when a bullet pierced her car window as she rode on 270. No other injuries have been reported.

[rkmsuf]

Nobody wants to waste time going after a lousy sniper...what he's 1-24?

[Samdari]

I guess it's ok if he only wounded the other 23...;)

I guess you missed the "no other injuries have been reported" part of the article :)

He clearly needs to be punished (I will leave the appropriate punishment to those others debating here) for his one murder and 23 attempted murders. I just don't think the level of terror that guy has created can compare to people frequently dying at random places in a huge area, at random intervals, and that the reason for that terror is not because CNN has decided not to cover it.

[John Galt]

Just curious, is the appeals process different for death penalty cases as opposed to life in prison cases? Seems like it would end up being a wash or perhaps slightly more costly for death penalty cases (since there might be a proclivity to accept appeals more often or to take them higher up the chain).

The appeals process is very different. And while the Anti-terrorism and Death Penalty Act greatly expedited executions, generally speaking, executing a defendant is still net more expensive than life in prison. However, the cost is much closer than it used to be.

[rkmsuf]

yeah I went back after I reread it and corrected my error...

[sabotai]

Call me what you will, but if someone killed a member of my family, having them killed would not make me feel better, nor would it make my family member any less dead.

It would mean s/he wouldn't be able to kill again...

I think the death penalty is overused, but in cases like these (ie, "mass" murders), I fully support it. This isn't "death for death". This is 1 death for 10. Makes complete sense to me.

[sachmo71]

It would mean s/he wouldn't be able to kill again...

I think the death penalty is overused, but in cases like these (ie, "mass" murders), I fully support it. This isn't "death for death". This is 1 death for 10. Makes complete sense to me.

I see that side of it, although it could be argued that he can't really kill again if he is in prison for the rest of his life.

[wig]

Cut off all his fingers.

[sachmo71]

He could use his teeth, Wig. Did you learn that in the Corps?

[Buzzbee]

The appeals process is very different. And while the Anti-terrorism and Death Penalty Act greatly expedited executions, generally speaking, executing a defendant is still net more expensive than life in prison. However, the cost is much closer than it used to be.

Thanks for the response John.

[wig]

He could use his teeth, Wig. Did you learn that in the Corps?

ok. knock all his teeth out and take away all his spoons.

That should limit his options.

[sabotai]

I see that side of it, although it could be argued that he can't really kill again if he is in prison for the rest of his life.

Make sure you let me know when they create an escape proof prison. Then I'll be on your side. :D

(But then again, he could kill while in prison as well.)

[BigJohn&TheLions]

(But then again, he could kill while in prison as well.)
Since when can you get chevy's and sniper rifles i the joint?

[sabotai]

Since when can you get chevy's and sniper rifles i the joint?

You'd be surprised at the things people can smuggle up their ass into jail. :D

[Hurst2112]

You'd be surprised at the things people can smuggle up their ass into jail. :D

Fish (trout) fries every Friday with the anal imports to prison.

I would rather see this guy go down in prison ala Dahmer than be executed "humainly".

I don't agree with the death penalty, but I say yes to some crazed lifer taking a broom handle to the guy's head (a bunch) to rid us of him.

Talk about double standards! :D

[tucker342]

Unless the person is REALLY fucked up, a much worse punishment is making them live with themselves... for a lot of murderers, death is a way to escape their conscience. Of course if the murderer has APD than that whole theory goes out the window... Even then, I still say killing someone as pay back is never the answer

[JeffNights]

Hey just FYI....The sniper in OHIO, has killed the one woman...all the rest of the "highway shootings" have been hitting the cars of the people, not the actual people themselves....i live in SE michigan and this gets a lot of media attention. just thought i'd clear that up.

[Dutch]

A man murders another man.

Do you

A.) Think $250,000 dollars should go to keeping this man behind bars for 20 years till he dies of lung cancer or shanking while fighting for another pack of smokes?

B.) Think all money's saved by the federal, state, and local governments should somehow go towards college scholarship funds for victim's relatives and/or government funded awareness programs on the consequences of killing other people and/or something other than giving the $250,000 dollars to the murderer?

The argument that capital punishment doesn't bring that person back is true, but it's not the main argument. I think we waste money keeping these worthless beings in jail.

I think Capital Punishment is under-developed as a national program towards saving more lives and saving more money. Capital Punishment, if used across the board, is a deterrent. Currently, it is a crap-shoot, as to who will be sentenced to death, and who won't, and therefore not a deterent at all. Enforce a strict rule and people will be forced to use common sense when dealing with their day to day problems. Murder won't be one of the ways they deal with those problems.

[terpkristin]

Not to get in on the death penalty good/bad argument, but how many of you actually LIVE in the DC area and were affected by the snipers? I was. Scary times. Particularly showing up for your soccer game on Saturday morning and seeing a copy of the Washington Post front page, on which was a picture of the Taco Bell/KFC where someone was shot and killed the night before...to look up and realize that the Taco Bell/KFC in question is the one directly across the street from the soccer field.

I find it frustrating that so many people have such strong feelings when a lot of them weren't at all involved in the panic, fear, and upset it caused.

~tk
For the record, against the death penalty, even in this case, but I'm not here to argue THAT point.

[Dutch]

My mother and father live in Northern Virginia. They were pretty nervous.

So you're vote is that the $250k should go to the murderer, not the vicitm. Sound logic, I think I'm buying into this No Death Penalty thing.

[sachmo71]

Make sure you let me know when they create an escape proof prison. Then I'll be on your side. :D

(But then again, he could kill while in prison as well.)


If one murderer can be locked up in prison, why not all? I do realize that it depends on the severity of the crime, but I happen to think that murder is all the same at it's most basic level. Society has deemed that his crime dooms him to death, but I just don't see how we are all better off in the end.

[John Galt]

My mother and father live in Northern Virginia. They were pretty nervous.

So you're vote is that the $250k should go to the murderer, not the vicitm. Sound logic, I think I'm buying into this No Death Penalty thing.

Or you missed my post earlier that executing is net more expensive than imprisoning.

[Sun Tzu]

Why don't they just hang him. Does it cost $250,000 to get a peice of rope and a tree?

[Dutch]

Or you missed my post earlier that executing is net more expensive than imprisoning.

You also missed my earlier post asking for Low Quality Capital Punishment....such as a rope and a tree.

Of course, lawyers cost money, but if we had lawyers doing murder cases on a "volun-told" basis, they probably wouldn't be so interested in trying to get murderers off.

Or better yet, a law that sentences the defense lawyer to death also....hmmmm...

[John Galt]

You also missed my earlier post asking for Low Quality Capital Punishment....such as a rope and a tree.

Of course, lawyers cost money, but if we had lawyers doing murder cases on a "volun-told" basis, they probably wouldn't be so interested in trying to get murderers off.

Or better yet, a law that sentences the defense lawyer to death also....hmmmm...

The death penalty doesn't cost more because of the method, it is because of incarceration until death, extra security, appeals costs, etc.

Yeah, that's nice - execute lawyers who dedicate their lives to trying to save people. Death penalty representation is a thankless and admirable job - even suggesting that you kill those who do it is despicable.

[Dutch]

The death penalty doesn't cost more because of the method, it is because of incarceration until death, extra security, appeals costs, etc.

Yeah, that's nice - execute lawyers who dedicate their lives to trying to save people. Death penalty representation is a thankless and admirable job - even suggesting that you kill those who do it is despicable.

It was kind of along the lines of "10,000 lawyers at the bottom of the sea..."

A joke. Lighten up, brother!

And if the overhead for a death row inmate costs that much, we should revamp the system. Such as put them in a big cage where there family can feed and cloth them until it's time to go.

My guess is John Galt would also prefer the $250,000 to go to the criminal, not the victim.

[John Galt]

It was kind of along the lines of "10,000 lawyers at the bottom of the sea..."

A joke. Lighten up, brother!

And if the overhead for a death row inmate costs that much, we should revamp the system. Such as put them in a big cage where there family can feed and cloth them until it's time to go.

My guess is John Galt would also prefer the $250,000 to go to the criminal, not the victim.

My guess is that you don't realize the number of people every year who are found guilty in trials with poor representation only to have those convictions overturned at a later date. My guess is that you don't realize the deplorable conditions of most American prisons - they are not cushy arrangements. My guess is you do not the rates of assault, rape, murder, and suicide in prisons and that you think it is fine to treat other human beings like that. My guess is that you watch too much TV and don't have a clue how freakin scary prisons in general are and how really screwed up death row is. I went recently and it is not something I ever want to do again.

[Dutch]

My guess is that you don't realize the number of people every year who are found guilty in trials with poor representation only to have those convictions overturned at a later date.

None. Nor do I have any idea how many murders could have been avoided had the law been a true deterent.

My guess is that you don't realize the deplorable conditions of most American prisons - they are not cushy arrangements. My guess is you do not the rates of assault, rape, murder, and suicide in prisons and that you think it is fine to treat other human beings like that. My guess is that you watch too much TV and don't have a clue how freakin scary prisons in general are and how really screwed up death row is. I went recently and it is not something I ever want to do again.

Okay, not only is John Galt in no mood to consider using this wasted money on a victim's fund, but he would suggest we give the murder $500,000 instead of $250k.

[Buddy Grant]

Dutch favors a return to the good old days of lynching, that would make a dandy campaign platform for that FOFC election dealy thread.

[stevew]

My guess is that you don't realize the number of people every year who are found guilty in trials with poor representation only to have those convictions overturned at a later date. My guess is that you don't realize the deplorable conditions of most American prisons - they are not cushy arrangements. My guess is you do not the rates of assault, rape, murder, and suicide in prisons and that you think it is fine to treat other human beings like that. My guess is that you watch too much TV and don't have a clue how freakin scary prisons in general are and how really screwed up death row is. I went recently and it is not something I ever want to do again.


I imagine prison sucks pretty bad. What'd you do to get locked up?

[The Afoci]

I imagine prison sucks pretty bad. What'd you do to get locked up?

He pissed of SkyDog in a gay marriage thread. Bannings nowadays are getting tough.

[John Galt]

None. Nor do I have any idea how many murders could have been avoided had the law been a true deterent.



Okay, not only is John Galt in no mood to consider using this wasted money on a victim's fund, but he would suggest we give the murder $500,000 instead of $250k.

Looking at virtually every study of the death penalty in its deterrent effect, the evidence is not conclusive either way. As of today, there is no clear proof that the death penalty deters murder or any other crime. Studies have also shown no deterrent effect when a mandatory death penalty (as you propose) has been historically applied. It should also be noted that a mandatory death penalty has been found to be wholly unconstitutional under the due process provisions of the Constitution.

You can make a lot of arguments for the death penalty, but deterrence is the one with the least evidentiary support.

[John Galt]

He pissed of SkyDog in a gay marriage thread. Bannings nowadays are getting tough.

LOL. Aren't you my agent? Why didn't you get me out of that mess? I want to be traded to the Eagles, damn it!

[Dutch]

Looking at virtually every study of the death penalty in its deterrent effect, the evidence is not conclusive either way. As of today, there is no clear proof that the death penalty deters murder or any other crime. Studies have also shown no deterrent effect when a mandatory death penalty (as you propose) has been historically applied. It should also be noted that a mandatory death penalty has been found to be wholly unconstitutional under the due process provisions of the Constitution.

You can make a lot of arguments for the death penalty, but deterrence is the one with the least evidentiary support.

John

You are simply not listening to what I am saying. There is no proof because we do not use it effectively as a deterrent.

If you jump off the Empire State Building, the result of your actions is clear. You will die. Hence the reason we don't see many people jumping off the Empire State Building to commit suicide. (Note: Many suicide attempts use less absolute means in hopes of making the attempt, and not actually getting the result).

But as it stands right now, if the American Justice System logic were the law of gravity, it would dictate that if you jump off the Empire State Building, your chance of dying is 1 in 250. We'd see a lot more people jumping off the Empire State Building. Why? Who knows, they'd probably make a TV show out of it, but the ammount of people leaping over the side would increase.

But anyway, if people knew they were going to die if they murder somebody, the rates will drop. That is based on logic. The amount of muder-then-suicide crimes in America is so minimal, they are mentioned on Newscasts. Most criminals don't want to die and most think they won't even if they do what they do. The USA is the most violent nation on Earth with regard to violent crimes.

Making the criminals more comfortable is not the solution, but another reason to encourage more violent crime. I say kill them and let the individuals responsabilities towards society take over. Make the justice system a deterrent again.

[Fritz]

just an aside, the empire state building has those fence thingys to prevent jumps.

[The Afoci]

LOL. Aren't you my agent? Why didn't you get me out of that mess? I want to be traded to the Eagles, damn it!

Philly don't want you no more. Your big mouth is getting us in trouble. Just shut up and look pretty and things will be okay. ;)

[Samdari]

Nor do I have any idea how many murders could have been avoided had the law been a true deterent

This is such a fallacy. Nothing deters murderers. If you were to poll the convicted murderers serving life sentences or on death row, you would be hard pressed to find one who considered not doing it because of the consequences. They either (a) think they won't be caught, or (b) don't think.

[John Galt]

John

You are simply not listening to what I am saying. There is no proof because we do not use it effectively as a deterrent.

I think it is you who is having trouble reading. I wrote that even in instances where a MANDATORY death penalty has been applied, deterrence studies were inconclusive. And there has been substantial study showing that although certainty of punishment is important in deterence that the certainty of death penalty versus life in prison is not a statistically significant factor.

And you seem to ignore the whole unconstitutional point. Your "logic" and argument was made a lot 20 or 30 years ago and many jurisdictions adopted the approach before that. Yet, murder rates went down and ultimately the Supreme Court found such an approach unconstitutional because not all murders are the same.

And you know what else happened when the death penalty was mandatory? Jury convictions went down. Hardly the outcome anyone wants.

I still vacilate on the death penalty debate, but your arguments on deterrence are just not supported by evidence.

[rkmsuf]

Seems to me that if you are crazy enough to carry out a murder there's no resonable level of deterrance that would make much difference...

I'm not saying no deterrance but whether it's life in prison, death, castration ect..what's the difference...

[Dutch]

Just checked the internet. If an 18 year old man shoots and kills somebody else with his own free will, he will receive 2 million dollars of state care over the course of his life, provided he lives to be 78 years old. This 2 million dollars gives you the ability to live like a caged rat in filthy conditions, you probably will get beat up and rapped constantly or you get to beat up others and rape them.

The victim's family receives nothing.

[Dutch]

Hmmm, more checking.

Criminals who commit murder spend an average of 7 years behind bars.

Only 1 in 2,000 are ever sentenced to death.

All prisoner's may receive a free college education if they desire.

[ice4277]

I think the death penalty should certainly be used in circumstances such as these, and I would not be against the law being more liberally applied. However, aren't most murders committed by people as an 'act of passion' or in a fit of rage? I can't imagine that people in these extreme mental states would somehow, just at the point of committing the crime, begin to rationalize the idea that they will get the death penalty if they go through with it. Therefore, I don't really see the death penalty being much of a deterrent in most cases of murder.

Then, of course, you have the risk of innocent people being wrongly convicted and given the death penalty. It is easy to say, get rid of the appeals/bureaucratic part of the process and put a bullet in the guys head, but to me, the idea of potentially executing a number of wrongly convicted individuals in order to save a few dollars puts a VERY bad taste in my mouth. If there would be a way to provide a well-reasoned appeals process while saving money, great. If not, I couldn't, in good conscience, support a shorter process.

[Dutch]

Bump!

If an 18 year old man shoots and kills somebody else with his own free will, he will receive 2 million dollars of state care over the course of his life, provided he lives to be 78 years old and isn't released from prison. This 2 million dollars gives you the ability to live like a caged rat in filthy conditions, you probably will get beat up and rapped constantly or you get to beat up others and rape them.

The victim's family receives nothing.

Criminals who commit murder spend an average of 7 years behind bars.

Only 1 in 2,000 are ever sentenced to death.

All prisoner's may receive a free college education if they desire.

[Kodos]

The silly thing is that they will let him wait probably 2-4 years to get his punishment. I wish the cops would have just bumrushed his car, guns-a-blazing. That way we could have all saved money, and that little fuck who was shooting people with him would have died too.

Try six-and-a-half years. But tonight the jig is up.

hxxp://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091110/ap_on_re_us/us_sniper_execution


Va. gov clears way for DC sniper's execution

Washington sniper faces execution

By DENA POTTER, Associated Press Writer Dena Potter, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 34 mins ago

RICHMOND, Va. – Gov. Tim Kaine denied clemency Tuesday for sniper John Allen Muhammad, clearing the way for him to be executed for the attacks that terrorized the nation's capital region for three weeks in 2002.

Muhammad is set to die by injection Tuesday night at Greensville Correctional Center in Jarratt. His attorneys had asked Kaine to commute his sentence to life in prison because they say he is mentally ill. The U.S. Supreme Court turned down his final appeal.

"I find no compelling reason to set aside the sentence that was recommended by the jury and then imposed and affirmed by the courts," Kaine, who is known for carefully considering death penalty cases, said in a statement. "Accordingly, I decline to intervene."

Muhammad was sentenced to death for killing Dean Harold Meyers at a Manassas gas station during a three-week spree that left 10 dead across Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.

He and his teenage accomplice, Lee Boyd Malvo, also were suspected of fatal shootings in other states, including Louisiana, Alabama and Arizona.

The motive for the shootings remains murky. Malvo said Muhammad wanted to use the plot to extort $10 million from the government to set up a camp in Canada where homeless children would be trained as terrorists. But Muhammad's ex-wife has said she believes the attacks were a smoke screen for his plan to kill her and regain custody of their three children.

For the families of those killed, the day is a long time coming.

Cheryll Witz is one of several victims' relatives who were going to watch the execution. Malvo confessed that, at Muhammad's direction, he shot her father, Jerry Taylor, on a Tucson, Ariz., golf course in March 2002.

"He basically watched my dad breathe his last breath," she said. "Why shouldn't I watch his last breath?"

The shootings terrorized the Washington region, with victims gunned down while doing everyday chores like shopping or pumping gas. People stayed indoors. Those who had to go outside weaved as they walked or bobbed their heads to make themselves less of a target.

The terror ended on Oct. 24, 2002, when police captured Muhammad and Malvo as they slept at a Maryland rest stop in a car they had outfitted so a shooter could hide in the trunk and fire through a hole in the body of the vehicle. Malvo is serving a life sentence in Virginia.

Death penalty opponents planned vigils across the state, and some were headed for Jarratt, about an hour south of Richmond, for the execution.

Beth Panilaitis, executive director of Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, said those who planned to protest understand the fear that gripped the community, and the nation, during the attacks.

"The greater metro area and the citizens of Virginia have been safe from this crime for seven years," Panilaitis said. "Incarceration has worked and life without the possibility of parole has and will continue to keep the people of Virginia safe."