Washington DC sniper ten years later
It began ten years ago in Wheaton with a single gunshot. James D. Martin, 55, had stopped off at a Shoppers Food Warehouse on his way home when, for no apparent reason, an unseen assailant shot and killed him.
- A series of five fatal shootings in the space of sixteen hours leaves the Kensington area of Montgomery County scrambling to find killer or killers on Thursday. Maryland State Police detain at gunpoint one of two occupants of a white box delivery truck around 11 a.m. on northbound I-95 near I-895. The vehicle fit a general description given by a witness to one of the shootings. (Doug Kapustin/Baltimore Sun)
- Five people shot dead, apparently at random and with frightening precision, over a 16 hour period in various Montgomery county locations within close proximity to each other. Pictured, a police officer takes measurements in front of the remains of a hispanic woman killed on a bench in front of a fast food restaurant near a post office in Leisure World plaza, on Georgia avenue. (Bill O’Leary/The Washington Post)
- Martha Brescha adds flowers to a bench below a bullet hole in a window in a strip mall October 5, 2002 in Silver Spring, Maryland. The bullet hole is from the sniper who is being blamed for six shootings in Montgomery County, Maryland and Washington, D.C. The sniper is still at large. (Stefan Zaklin/ Getty Images)
- Flowers rest on a bench below a bullet hole in a window in a strip mall October 5, 2002 in Silver Spring, Maryland. The bullet hole is from the sniper who is being blamed for six shootings in Montgomery County, Maryland and Washington, D.C. The sniper is still at large. (Stefan Zaklin/ Getty Images)
- Andrew Walekar (L) comforts his mother Margaret, as pallbearers place the casket of 54-year-old Prem Kumar Walekar into a hearse at Sligo Seventh Day Adventist Church in Takoma Park, Maryland following funeral service, October 6, 2002. Walekar was shot and killed October 3 as part of a 36 hour shooting spree that left six dead in Washington area. Police still have no suspects. (Brendan McDermid/Reuters photo)
- Prince Georges County police officers stand in front of Benjamin Tasker Middle School October 7, 2002 in Bowie, Maryland. A 13-year-old boy was shot and wounded critically outside the school after being dropped off by a relative. Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose said that it is too soon to speculate if the shooting of the student is related to five other shootings in the suburbs surrounding Washington, DC. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
- A tearful Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose sends a message to parents concerning the shooting of a 13-year-old boy outside a middle school in Bowie, Md., during a news briefing outside police headquarters in Rockville, Md., Monday, Oct. 7, 2002. Police are trying to determine if the shooting is related to a recent spree of sniper attacks in the region. (Gail Burton/AP photo)
- Police lead a bloodhound as they investigate a fatal shooting at an Exxon gas station, in Fredericksburg, Va., Friday Oct. 11, 2002. Police were scouring the area looking for clues. It wasn’t immediately clear if the shooting was linked to nine sniper attacks that have left seven people dead in the Washington area. (Steve Helber/AP photo)
- Police look for clues, Thursday, Oct 10, 2002, near the grounds of a Sunoco service station in Manassas, Va., where Dean Harold Meyers, 53, of Gaithersburg, Md., was shot and killed Wednesday night after filling his tank with gas. Officials have not confirmed whether or not this incident is connected to the Maryland sniper attacks. (Ron Edmonds/AP photo)
- Law enforcement agents look for clues in the sniper shooting of a man at Four Mile Fork Exxon in Fredricksburg, Virginia on Friday morning. The victim was fueling his car around 9:30 a.m. (Doug Kapustin/Baltimore Sun)
- Law enforcement agents place evidence gathered at the scene in a bag for transport on Friday in Fredricksburg. They’re looking for clues in the sniper shooting of a man at Four Mile Fork Exxon in Fredricksburg, Virginia. (Doug Kapustin/Baltimore Sun)
- A worker in protective clothing cleans the gas pump at the scene of a fatal shooting at an Exxon station in Fredericksburg, Va., Saturday Oct. 12, 2002. Police confirmed that the shooting was connected to the recent area sniper shootings. (Steve Helber/AP Photos)
- Monique McNamara, of Alexandria Va., looks at Raul Lopez, of the New York chapter of the Guardian Angels, as he pumps gas for her at a gas station in Alexandria, Va., Saturday Oct. 12, 2002, a day after a sniper attacked for the tenth time at a gas station in Fredericksburg, Va. (Evan Vucci/Getty Images)
- Traffic jam continues on the outer loop of the Capitol Beltway (I-495) heading from Fairfax County towards the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge towards Maryland as police search a white van attempting to enter the beltway from South Richmond Hwy following a shooting of a female at a Home Depot near Fairfax Mon., Oct. 14, 2002. Fears are growing that a sniper may have struck again. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)
- Unidentiflied police officials removed boxes, possibly containing evidence collected from a house on Elfner Road near the town of Red Lion, Pa. A man who lived in this house is being questioned in connection to the sniper shooting in the Maryland Washington metro area. The officers removed one box, labelled “Compaq”, right, and a long grass trimmer box from the scene. (Kenneth K. Lam/Baltimore Sun)
- Flowers,flags and notes that were left at the scene where one of the victims of the DC sniper was shot and killed. (Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun)
- An unidentified woman crouches while pumping gas at a gas station near Route 95 in Alexandria, Virginia, October 14, 2002. Four of the 10 sniper shootings have taken place at gas stations including the most recent one that took place in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. The search for the Washington area sniper continues. (Brendan McDermid/Reuters photo)
- An Arlington Police officer stands watch outside the home of shooting victim Linda Franklin. Franklin, a FBI analyst, is the ninth person killed by the serial sniper operating in the Washington area. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
- Investigators look for evidence at the Home Depot in Seven Corners Shopping Center, the site of a sniper attack last night, that left a 47 year old woman dead. (André F. Chung/Baltimore Sun)
- Paramedics and a police officer stand near the body of Linda Franklin, 47, of Arlington, VA (behind shroud) after she was fatally shot in the head Monday night outside of a Home Depot. The bullet was linked to the “beltway sniper” the following morning. (David Hobby/Baltimore Sun)
- Police prohibit traffic from leaving the scene after Linda Franklin, 47, of Arlington, VA was fatally shot in the head Monday night outside of a Home Depot in Falls Church, VA. The bullet was linked to the “beltway sniper” the following morning. The latest shooting sparked a massive manhunt. (David Hobby/Baltimore Sun)
- A paramedic stands near the body of Linda Franklin, 47, of Arlington, VA (behind shroud at ambulance) after she was fatally shot in the head Monday night outside of a Home Depot. The bullet was linked to the “beltway sniper” the following morning. (David Hobby/Baltimore Sun)
- Investigators look for evidence at the Home Depot in Seven Corners Shopping Center, in Falls Church, Va., the site of a sniper attack last night, that left a 47 year old woman dead. Gabriela Barrientos of Arlington, and her grandson, Michael Paulo, leave after discovering Home Depot was closed for the day. Barrientos was with her nephew, Jorge Montoya (not pictured) trying to purchase new fencing. (André F. Chung/Baltimore Sun)
- A memorial has been erected in the parking garage of the Home Depot in Seven Corners Shopping Center, in Falls Church, Va. the site of the most recent shooting perpetrated by the Washington area sniper. Jeannie Yarush, of Dale City, VA, who knew the victim, Linda Franklin, leaves a note at the site of her killing. They were friends for about six years and used to go tubing together on the Shenandoah River. (André F. Chung/Baltimore Sun)
- An unidentified man lies handcuffed on the ground next to his white van at a gas station in Stafford, Virginia, October 19, 2002. Law enforcement are stopping and handcuffing all drivers in white vans that fit a description in the current Washington area sniper attacks. Police reported Saturday that a person was shot and wounded in Ashland, Virginia, located 90 miles (145 km) south of the U.S. capital, but authorities said they did not know whether the incident was linked to the recent sniper shootings in the Washington area. (Brendan McDermid/Reuters photo)
- ATF Agents leave the Ponderosa Steak House 20 October 2002 where a 37 year old man was shot late 19 October in Ashland, Va. The shooting, was not fatal and has not been linked to the sniper shootings in the Washington, DC area, but is being investigated as if it were. (Shawn Thew/Getty Images)
- Henrico County, Va., police arrested two possible suspects in connection to the sniper shooting of a 37-year-old man outside a Ponderosa restaurant in Ashland, Va., last Monday. Jennifer Strano, of the Henrico County Police forensic unit, gathers materials used during her investigation at the Exxon gas station at the corner of Parham Road and Board Street in Richmond, Va. (Kenneth K. Lam/Baltimore Sun)
- Henrico County, Va., police arrested two possible suspects in connection to the sniper shooting of a 37-year-old man outside a Ponderosa restaurant in Ashland, Va., last Saturday. One man, who drove a white van, was arrested while using a pay phone at the Exxon gas station at the corner of Board street and Parham Road in Richmond, Va. Television camerman takes close-up shot of the pay phone in question. (Kenneth K. Lam/Baltimore Sun)
- Police arrested two possible suspects in connection to the sniper shooting of a 37-year-old man outside a Ponderosa restaurant in Ashland, Va., last Monday. Henrico County Police officers pace the entire area during investigation at the Exxon gas station at the corner of Parham Road and Board Street in Richmond, (Kenneth K. Lam/Baltimore Sun)
- Press conference at at the Montgomery County Police Headquarters regarding the sniper attacks was postponed shortly after 1pm today. Meredith Gunning a videographer for Conus Communications in Washington, D.C. sits behind several video cameras after todays 1pm press conference had been postoned for the second time. (Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun)
- An Aspen Hill shooting early on Tuesday leaves 35 year old Ride-On bus driver Conrad Johnson dead near the intersection of Grand Pre Road and Connecticut Avenue. Police treat the shooting as though he is the thirteenth victim of the D.C. area sniper by setting up roadblocks and involving the task force assigned to the case. (Doug Kapustin/Baltimore Sun)
- A bus driver was fatally shot about 6am in the Aspen Hills community as he stood on the steps of his Ride On commuter bus (top, center), just across from North Gate Park, right, which is being searched for evidence. Police are treating the murder as a sniper shooting, the thirteenth of its kind, in which 10 people have died. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)
- Appearing grim, Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose stops for a moment before continuing to the podium as members of the news media train their still and video cameras on him as he prepares to announce the fatal shooting of a bus driver as he stood on the steps of the bus he was driving Mon., Oct. 22, 2002. Fears are growing that a sniper may have struck again as police attempt to gather evidence following the murder early this morning. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)
- A Ride On bus drives past a bus stop where a makeshift memorial rests Wed., Oct. 23, 2002, one day after commuter bus driver Conrad Johnson was slain there by a sniper. Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose, who quoted a postscript believed to be written by the sniper outlining a threat to children says the police “have not been able to assure anyone their safety.” (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)
- Law enforcement officers search car by car on Connecticut Avenue near the shooting scene. An Aspen Hill shooting early on Tuesday leaves 35 year old Ride-On bus driver Conrad Johnson dead near the intersection of Grand Pre Road and Connecticut Avenue. Police treat the shooting as though he is the thirteenth victim of the D.C. area sniper by setting up roadblocks and involving the task force assigned to the case. (Doug Kapustin/Baltimore Sun)
- School bus driver Carolina Salas, of Aspen Hill, crosses herself as she visits an impromptu shrine where the sniper’s last murder was committed. People were making their way back out into the world on news of the sniper’s arrest. Her husband is also a (Ride-On) bus driver. (David Hobby/Baltimore Sun)
- Billy Kuhn, 8 of Rockville lights a candle for his father David Kuhn, both members of Faith United Methodist Church during a candlelight vigil following a shooting of a bus driver early Mon., Oct. 22, 2002. Fears are growing that a sniper may have struck again as police attempt to gather evidence following the murder early this morning. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)
- Federal law enforcement officials survey the scene of a shooting in Aspen Hill, Maryland, from a helicopter October 22, 2002. A 40 year-old bus driver, Conrad Johnson died in the shooting that is currently be investigated to the spate of sniper-like shootings that have plagued the Washington, DC area since October 2. (Brian Snyder/Reuters photo)
- Government Contractor Kedn Jenkins, who has a flexible work schedule, escorts his daughter, 4th grade student Nicole Jenkins, 8 past a Montgomery County Police cruiser towards Strathmore Elementary School Wed., Oct. 23, 2002, one day after commuter bus driver Conrad Johnson was slain by an unidentified person just hundreds of yards from the site. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)
- Laurna Knight embraces her daughter, 10- year- old fifth grader Ebony while Montgomery County Police stand by in foreground as students are brought to Strathmore Elementary School Wed., Oct. 23, 2002, one day after commuter bus driver Conrad Johnson was slain by an unidentified person. Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose, who quoted a postscript believed to be written by the sniper outlining a threat to children says the police “have not been able to assure anyone their safety.”Thirteen people have been shot, 10 fatally, since the attacks on citizens began Oct. 2. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)
- An investigator removes evidence from a home in Tacoma, Wash., Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2002. The search for the serial sniper jumped across the country Wednesday as FBI agents converged on a home in Tacoma. A U.S. official in Washington said authorities were looking for two “people of interest,” one of them formerly connected to Fort Lewis, an Army base south of Tacoma. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Gilbert W. Arias)
- Investigators comb the yard of a Tacoma, Wash., home Thursday, Oct. 23, 2002, looking for evidence with a possible connection to the Washington, D.C. sniper shootings. The search for the serial sniper jumped across the country Wednesday as FBI agents converged on a home in Tacoma. A U.S. official in Washington said authorities were looking for two “people of interest,” one of them formerly connected to Fort Lewis, an Army base south of Tacoma. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Mike Urban)
- A Maryland State Trooper watches over children leaving school in Montgomery County, Maryland October 23, 2002. Police recently revealed that the Washington, DC area sniper has threatened children in a letter left a shooting scene. (Brian Snyder/Reuters photo)
- Montgomery County Police Chief Charles A. Moose walks past media towards the podium to address the media during a press conference to announce the arrest of two suspects early Thu., Oct. 24, 2002. John Williams and a 17- year- old suspect apparently have been charged with firearms violations and may be charged with counts of murder and attempted murder, stemming from 10 murders and 3 critically- injured victims of shootings by sniper. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)
- Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose pauses as he thinks of the victims of the sniper attacks as Gary Bald of FBI Special Agent in Charge looks on during a press conference to announce the arrest of two suspects early Thu., Oct. 24, 2002. John Williams and a 17- year- old suspect apparently have been charged with firearms violations and may be charged with counts of murder and attempted murder, stemming from 10 murders and 3 critically- injured victims of shootings by sniper. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)
- Montgomery County police chief Charles Moose, right, is greeted by handshake by Sheriff Ronald Knight, of Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Office, after a press conference , which announced that two suspects have been apprehended in connection to the serial sniper investigation. (Kenneth K. Lam/Baltimore Sun)
- Photo shows US sniper suspect John Allen Muhammad, also known as John Allen Williams (R), with John Lee Malvo (L). Police arrested the pair while they were sleeping in their car at a Maryland rest area, north of Washington DC, early 24 October. The arrest came in connection with the Washington-area sniper investigation which left 10 people dead and three injured. (Getty image)
- The car that John Muhammad and his stepson were in when Police surprised them at a rest stop along Route 70 near Myersville, Maryland sits surrounded by law enforcement officers October 24, 2002. Muhammad was picked up in relation to the Washington area sniper case. (Brendan McDermid/Reuters photo)
- Law enforcement officers hold an item after lifting up the backseat of the car which John Allen Muhammad and John Lee Malvo were in when police arrested them at a rest stop near Myersville, Maryland October 24, 2002. Former U.S. soldier John Allen Muhammad, a Gulf War veteran, and John Lee Malvo, were arrested at the rest stop in rural Maryland early Thursday in the hunt for suspects in 10 sniper-style slayings in the Washington, D.C., area. (Brendan McDermid/Reuters photo)
- A caravan of police vehicles escorts a truck and trailer transporting the suspects vehicle which was discovered in Myersville, MD, after two men were arrested in connection with the sniper attacks. ( John Makely/Baltimore Sun)
- A CNN image shows Maryland police maneuvering the vehicle used by sniper suspects John Allen Williams, also known as John Muhammad, and his stepson John Lee Malvo. The pair, who are suspected in the sniper killing of 10 people in the Washington, DC area, were arrested earlier 24 October at a rest area in Maryland along Interstate 70. (CNN/via Getty images)
- Custodian Larry Blank was one of the first to spot the vehicle and suspects found at a Myersville rest stop early Thursday morning. (Doug Kapustin/Baltimore Sun)
- A road sign in Montgomery County, Maryland thanks police chief Charles Moose October 25, 2002, who lead the task force in the Washington, DC area sniper case. Two men arrested October 24 have will be charged as the snipers, having shot 13 people over three weeks. (Brian Snyder/Reuters photo)
- The police escort arrives at the Garmatz Federal Courthouse with one of the sniper suspects, John A. Williams. (Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun)
- A group of vehicles thought to be carrying the alleged snipers arrive under heavy guard at the Garmatz US Federal Courthouse this afternoon. (Barbara Haddock Taylor/Baltimore Sun)
- People look out the windows of the Garmatz Federal Courthouse while waiting for the sniper suspects to arrive. (Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun)
- The police escort arrives at the Garmatz Federal Courthouse with one of the sniper suspects, John A. Williams. Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun)
- A Baltimore City police officer stands guard at the entrance of the Garmatz Federal Courthouse as a Chevy Blazer carrying law enforcement officers arrives in a hurry with an entourage of other vehicles carrying suspects that may be associated with the D.C. area sniper shootings Thursday, Oct. 24, 2002, in Baltimore, MD. (Glenn Fawcett/Baltimore Sun)
- Moliticians in areas affected by sniper shootings gather to thank law enforcement for arrest of suspects. Montgomery County Executive Douglas Duncan (speaking), Maryland Governor Parris Glendening, Virginia Governor Mark Warner, Senator Barbara Mikulski, Senator Paul Sarbanes, D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams, County Executive Wayne Curry. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
- Hong Im Ballenger is shown in a family photo from 1999. Ballistics tests have matched the rifle used in the Washington-area sniper killings with the fatal Sept. 23 shooting of Ballenger, a Baton Rouge, La., beauty shop worker, police said Thursday, Oct. 31, 2002. (TKwang Im Szuszka/The Advocate)
- At the corner of Sission and 28th street the parking lot of a Subway and Donut Connection ajointed to a Mobil Station is where the two sniper suspects were found sleeping in a car and where asked to leave. (Monica Lopossay/Baltimore Sun)
- A message of thanks to Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose, painted on a bed sheet, hangs on the fence of an overpass on I-495 in Silver Spring, MD, 25 October 2002. Following the capture of two suspects in the sniper shooting spree early 24 October, people in the area began to express their thanks to law enforcement officials. (Tom Mihalek/Getty Images)
- Montgomery Police Chief John Wilson (L) and Montgomery Mayor Bobby Bright (R) answer questions at a news conference 25 October 2002 in front of the ABC store on Zelda Road in Montogomery in the southern US state of Alabama. Accused sniper John Allen Muhammad was also charged with capital murder for his part in a robbery in which one woman was killed and another seriously wounded last September outside the ABC store. (Mickey Welsh/Getty images)
- A fleet of buses bearing the name of bus driver Conrad Johnson, the last person gunned down by a sniper in a three-week rampage of shootings in seven jurisdictions, motorcades on the Beltway to Johnson’s funeral in Washington, DC, 26 October 2002. Montgomery County prosecutors, where six people were slain, plan to charge US Army veteran John Allen Muhammad, 41, and his companion John Lee Malvo, 17, with the killing spree. (Mike Theiler/AP photo)
- John Allen Muhammad, 41, one of the two suspects in the DC area sniper shootings, obtained this Antiguan passport in 2000 using forged documents, officials say. He submitted the name of an Antiguan woman for that of his real mother.
- Carol Williams and her friend Vince Hutchinson leave the news conference after her attorney read a statement in front of her home in Baton Rouge, La., Thursday Oct. 24, 2002. Williams is the ex-wife of John Allen Muhammad, who was arrested in connection with the serial sniper case in the Washington area. (Bill Feig/AP photo)
- After being the first witnesses to provide authorities with information about accused sniper John Allen Muhammed, subway employees Marty Ruby (left) and Holly Thompson have been interviewed by national newspapers and appeared on several national news programs. (Elizabeth Malby/Baltimore Sun)
- Mourners embrace in front of a group of bus drivers gathered outside the Glendale First Baptist Church in Landover, Md. Saturday, Oct. 26, 2002 during the funeral for bus driver Conrad Johnson, the 35-year-old father gunned down Tuesday in the last of the sniper attacks.(Roberto Borea/AP photo)
- Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Robert Horan announces the indictments of John Muhammad and John Lee Malvo, following an investigation into the Oct. 14 murder of Linda Franklin at the Home Depot in Seven Corners, Va., during a news conference at the Fairfax County Police Department in Fairfax, Va., Wednesday Nov. 6, 2002. (Rick Bowmer/AP photo)
- Todd Petit, sniper suspect John Lee Malvo’s appointed guardian, speaks to reporters after a court hearing in Fairfax, Va., Friday, Nov. 15, 2002 as Malvo’s attorney Michael Arif, left, listens. A judge on Friday denied a motion by lawyers for sniper suspect John Allen Muhammad to impose a gag order on local police and the FBI. (Matthew Cavanaugh/AP photo)
- John Allen Muhammad, one of two men accused in a series of sniper attacks in the Washington, DC, area, is escorted to his appearance before Judge Leroy F. Millette at the Prince William County courthouse in Manassas, VA, 13 November, 2002. John Allen Muhammad, 41, and John Lee Malvo, 17, are suspected of terrifying Washington-area residents for three weeks while shooting 13 people as they shopped and pumped gas, killing 10. (Jahi Chikwendiu/Getty Images)
- Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose holds foam “moose” antlers while waving during the Thanksgiving Day parade in Silver Spring, Md., Saturday, Nov. 23, 2002. At right is 11-year-old Regan Denchfield, of Chevy Chase, Md., whose father owns and drives the 1948 Cadillac, the parade’s lead car. Moose is one of four sniper shooting investigators who participated as grand marshals in the parade. (Ken Lambert/AP photo)
- Peter Greenspun, defense attorney for D.C. area sniper suspect John Allen Muhammad, is escorted by a sheriff’s deputy as he makes his way back to the Judicial Center in Manassas, Virginia, after speaking with the media November 13, 2002. Muhammad is facing the death penalty if convicted of an October gas station slaying in Manassas. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters photo)
- Mildred Muhammad, ex-wife of sniper suspect John Allen Muhammad, is shown Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2002, in Washington. Mildred, 42, said during an interview with The Washington Post published Friday, that she was convinced Muhammad’s chief purpose in coming to the Washington area was to kill her and reclaim the couple’s three children. She expressed her sorrow over the deaths of the sniper victims. (Dudley Brooks/The Washington Post)
- A 1997 picture of John Lee Malvo, also known as Lee Boyd Malvo, is seen on a school admission file at Spaulding High School in Jamaica. At school, John Lee Malvo won over teachers with his studiousness and even temper. He wore his khaki uniform, stayed out of trouble and displayed an active intellect that suggested a bright future, his teachers said. While authorities proceeded Friday, Oct. 25, 2002 with charges against the 17-year-old in the U.S. sniper shootings, the teachers who educated the Jamaican boy were asking themselves what had gone wrong. (AP Photo)
- Sniper suspect John Allen Muhammad, left, talks with his attorney Jonathan Shapiro, right, during a bench conference at the Virginia Beach Circuit Court in Virginia Beach, Va., Monday Nov. 3, 2003. (Dave Ellis/AP Photo)
- Washington area sniper suspect John Lee Malvo is escorted by Fairfax County Sheriffs out of Fairfax County juvenile court in Fairfax, Virginia, November 15, 2002. Malvo was at a hearing to decide whether he is to be prosecuted as an adult or a minor in the recent Washington area sniper shootings that took place last month. (Brendan McDermid/Reuters photo)
- Prince William County prosecutor James Willett handles the weapon used in the sniper shootings during opening arguments of the trial of sniper suspect John Allen Muhammad, at the Virginia Beach Circuit Court in Virginia Beach, Virginia, October 20, 2003. Muhammad, on trial for murder for one of 10 gunshot killings that terrorized the Washington area last year, was allowed to act as his own attorney as opening arguments began on Monday. Judge Leroy Millet, Jr., looks on.(Martin Smith-Rodden/Reuters photo)
- Convicted sniper John Allen Muhammad looks around the courtroom at the beginning of his trial in Virginia Beach, Va., in this Oct. 14, 2003 file photo. (Lawrence Jackson/AP photo)
- ATF agent Walter A. Dandridge Jr., holds the bushmaster rifle used in the sniper shootings during his testimony during his testimony in the trial of sniper suspect John Allen Muhammad in courtroom 10 at the Virginia Beach Circuit Court November 6, 2003 in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Muhammad is on trial in a capital murder case for the shooting death of Dean Meyers, 53-years-old, at a gas station October 9, 2002 in Manassas, Virginia. (Tracy Woodward/Getty Images)
- Prince William County Commonwealth Attorney Paul Ebert, center, gives a hug to Katrina Hannum, daughter of sniper victim Linda Franklin, after a jury found John Allen Muhammad guilty on four charges at the Virginia Beach Circuit Court in Virginia Beach, Va., Monday Nov. 17, 2003. (Adrin Snider/AP photo)
- Convicted sniper John Allen Muhammad, center, leans over to talk to his attorney, Peter Greenspun, right, as Christie Leary listens during the penalty phase of his trial in Courtroom 10 at the Virginia Beach Circuit Court in Virginia Beach, Va., Tuesday Nov. 18, 2003. (Dave Ellis/AP photo))
- Defense attorney Peter Greenspun loads files into the back of his vehicle after after the jury failed to agree on the death penalty or prison for convicted sniper John Allen Muhammad at the Virginia Beach Circuit Court November 21, 2003 in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Deliberations will continue on November 24. (Jeff Caplan/Getty Images)
- Fairfax County Sniper Task Force supervisor Lt. Bruce Guth, center is comforted by Melissa Thomas, left, and FBI special agent Mike McCoy, right, after the sentence of death was recommended by a jury in the case of convicted sniper John Allen Muhammad at the Virginia Beach Circuit Court in Virginia Beach, Va., Monday Nov. 24, 2003. (Davis Turner/AP photo)
- Accused sniper John Lee Malvo walks out of the Fairfax County Juvenile Court House after appearing with his attorneys November19, 2002 in Fairfax, Virginia. Malvo was sentenced December 23 to life in prison without the possiblity of parole for the murder of FBI analyst Linda Franklin. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
- Dedication Ceremony of the Reflection Terrace at Brookside Gardens, in Wheaton Regional Park, in honor of the ten Washington, D.C. area victims of the October 2002 sniper shooting spree. Jocelin Rivera, age 5, studies the plaque on the walkway leading to the Reflection Terrace, while talking with Linda Ridall, civilian employee with the Police Dept., on hand to assist relatives and guests attending the ceremony. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)
- Paul LaRuffa, 58, owner of Margellina restaurant in Clinton, was the first victim of the snipers, Lee Boyd Malvo and John Allen Muhammad, who terrorized the Washington, D.C. area three years ago. He was shot five times at close range on Sept. 5, 2002, when he got into his car to leave the restaurant, and was then robbed. He was hospitalized with two collapsed lungs, but has recovered physically from his serious injuries. Now that Muhammad’s trial is being held in MD, he may have to testify again. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)
- Convicted sniper John Allen Muhammad gestures as he address judge James L. Ryan during a media preview before the start of his trial Friday, April 28, 2006 in Rockville, Md. Jury selection began Monday, May 1, 2006 for the murder trial of Muhammad, who is on trial on six murder charges for killings in Maryland during the Oct 2002 Washington area sniper spree.(Chris Gardner/AP photo)
- The 1990 Caprice used by convicted sniper John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo is seen at the Montgomery County Judicial Center after it was entered into evidence in the murder trial of Muhammad Wednesday, May 17, 2006, in Rockville, Md. Muhammad, who is representing himself is on trial on six murder charges for killings in Maryland during the Oct 2002 Washington area sniper spree.(Chris Gardne/AP photo)
- The trunk of the 1990 Caprice used by convicted sniper John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo is seen at the Montgomery County Judicial Center after it was entered into evidence in the murder trial of Muhammad Wednesday, May 17, 2006, in Rockville, Md. There was a hole cut in the back of the trunk and the rifle was shot out of the hole. Muhammad, who is representing himself is on trial on six murder charges for killings in Maryland during the Oct 2002 Washington area sniper spree.(Chris Gardner/AP photo)
- The trunk of the 1990 Caprice used by convicted sniper John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo is seen at the Montgomery County Judicial Center after it was entered into evidence in the murder trial of Muhammad Wednesday, May 17, 2006 in Rockville, Md. There was a hole cut in the back of the trunk and the rifle was shot out of the hole. Muhammad, who is representing himself is on trial on six murder charges for killings in Maryland during the Oct 2002 Washington area sniper spree.(Chris Gardne/AP photo)
- Convicted sniper John Allen Muhammad, standing, acting as his own attorney, cross examines fellow convicted sniper Lee Boyd Malvo, left, as prosecutor Katherine Winfree, center, listens during a hearing, Tuesday May, 23, 2006, at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Rockville, Md. Muhammad is on trial for the beltway sniper shootings that claimed 10 lives in the national capital region in 2002. (AP Photo/Dana Kerkouteren)
- (L-R) Denise Johnson, wife of sniper victim Conrad Johnson, Margaret Walekar, wife of victim Prem Walekar and Ola Martin-Border, sister of victim James Martin, listen in the lobby of the Montgomery County Judicial Center as other family members comment on sentencing of convicted sniper John Allen Muhammad. Muhammad received six consecutive life terms in prison without parole. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
- Sonia Wills and Denise Johnson, mother and wife of sniper victim Conrad Johnson, hug in the lobby of the Montgomery County Judicial Center after speaking about the sentencing of convicted sniper John Allen Muhammad. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)
- In this recent but undated handout photo from the Virginia Department of Corrections, convicted sniper John Allen Muhammad poses for a mugshot. Muhammad, 48, is set to die by lethal injection in Greensville Correctional Center tonight, seven years after he and his teenage accomplice terrorized the area in and around the nation’s capital for three weeks. (Virginia Department of Corrections/ via Getty Images)
- Family members of convicted sniper John Allen Muhammad pray outside Greenville Correctional Center in Jarratt, Va., at the scheduled time of Muhammad’s execution on Nov. 10, 2009. Muhammad was executed for sniper attacks that killed 10 people in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. during a 3-week spree in 2002. (Dean Hoffmeyer/AP photo)
- Jon Sheldon (C), attorney for DC sniper John Allen Muhammad, makes a statement to the media after Muhammad was pronounced dead outside the Greensville Correctional Center November 10, 2009 near Jarratt, Virginia. Muhammad was executed at the center by lethal injection at 9 p.m. tonight for the shooting death of Dean Harold Meyers at a gas station in the Manassas area of Virginia on October 9, 2002. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
- A vehicle carrying the body of executed sniper John Allen Muhammad departs the Greensville Correctional Center in Jarratt, Virginia, November 10, 2009. Muhammad was sentenced to die for the murder of Dean Harold Meyers, one of 10 people left dead in a shooting spree by Muhammad and younger accomplice Lee Boyd Malvo that terrorized the Washington, DC, area in October 2002. (REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst)
- Shown from top left to bottom right are photos of the ten fatal sniper victims; Kenneth H. Bridges, James L. “Sonny” Buchanan, Pascal Charlot, Linda Franklin, Lori Ann Lewis-Rivera, James Martin, Dean H. Meyers, Sarah Ramos, Prem Kumar Walekar and Conrad Johnson. Since Oct. 2, 2002 there have been 12 shootings in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., that have left ten people dead and two wounded. (AP Photos/File)
The next morning, four others in Montgomery County were killed while doing mundane activities – pumping gas, mowing a lawn, sitting on a bench, vacuuming a minivan. A sixth victim fell that night in Washington near the county line.
Over three terrifying weeks in October 2002, the so-called Beltway Sniper fatally shot 10 people in the Washington region, ratcheting up anxiety levels all the way from Baltimore to Richmond.