Appeal confirmed in DC sniper case

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - A federal appeals court in Virginia has affirmed the capital murder conviction and death sentence of D.C.-area sniper mastermind John Allen Muhammad.

A three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued its unanimous ruling Friday. The panel rejected several claims by Muhammad, including that he never should have been allowed to act as his own lawyer for part of his 2003 trial because he was too mentally impaired.

The 2002 shootings by Muhammad and teenage accomplice Lee Boyd Malvo terrorized the Washington, D.C., area. In all, 10 people were killed in four states, including Alabama and Louisiana before the pair moved on to Virginia, Maryland and D.C.

Attorney General Bill Mims released the following statement today regarding the decision to deny habeas relief:

“We are pleased the U.S. Court of Appeals has denied John Muhammad’s claims to overturn the just decision of the Prince William County jury that imposed the death penalty against him for the capital murders he committed in Prince William County. During his horrific shooting spree in the fall of 2002, Muhammad killed 10 and wounded six innocent people in four different states and the District of Columbia.”