Court hears appeal by sniper mastermind

RICHMOND (AP) - Lawyers for sniper mastermind John Allen Muhammad are asking a federal appeals court in Virginia to toss out his conviction and death sentence.

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals hears Muhammad's case Tuesday.

Muhammad was sentenced to death during a Virginia Beach trial, for the October 2002 murder of Dean Meyers in Prince William County. Meyers was one victim in a shooting spree by Muhammad and teenage accomplice Lee Boyd Malvo that left 10 dead and six wounded in four states and the District of Columbia. Malvo is serving a life sentence.

On appeal, Muhammad claims prosecutors withheld crucial evidence. He also alleges errors by his court-appointed attorneys and the trial judge.