Court set to hear appeal by DC sniper

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - The case of convicted sniper John Allen Muhammad is going before a federal appeals court.

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond is scheduled to hear arguments Tuesday. Muhammad wants to overturn his 2003 conviction and death sentence or return the capital murder case to the trial court.

Muhammad was convicted for masterminding a 2002 killing spree in the Washington, D.C. region that left 10 people dead.

His new lawyers claim Muhammad had ineffective counsel in the original trial. They also claim the prosecution withheld crucial evidence and the trial judge erred in refusing to allow a jury to hear expert testimony about Muhammad's brutal childhood.