Snipers Mohammad/Malvo sent to Virginia....

[DentyCracker]

If he killed then he should die. Period. The fact that he comes from my country makes no difference. If he had done that at home he might not have made it to prison. If he did he'd be getting the death penalty AFAIK.

[The PIT]

I always wonder why people stick up for scum like this? I wonder if their viewpoints would change if their family was directly effected?

[GNEP]

Not sticking up in any sense whatsoever.

Just:

a) Object to the death penalty.

b) Don't like the *media* assumption that is getting prevalent of guilty until proven otherwise (or not).

Objection on points of principle - not on the merits of this particular case.

Gnep

[The PIT]

Well in America they've got the death penatly and purps new that before they started shooting. I have no sympathy with them on that count.
The odds of them being innocent is very very remote.
As for innocent before guilty how many times in your life have you presumed someone has done something wrong????

[GNEP]

Originally posted by The PIT
As for innocent before guilty how many times in your life have you presumed someone has done something wrong????

All the time. But it's usually me that I presume has f*cked up

[Sethos]

Some how I think we gonna have us a little fried snipper some time soon.

While most other states are trying to ban the death penelty Virgina has installed a super high way to the chair -- adapted form the comedy of Ron White

~Sethos

[Dr Mordrid]

Average length of appeals before execution in Virginia: 7 years.

More than enough for the other jurisdictions to get their shot at 'em.

Dr. Mordrid

[Joel]

Malvo "boastful" during interview

FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) - John Lee Malvo, the 17-year-old accused in a series of sniper attacks that terrorized the Washington, D.C., suburbs, admitted during a seven-hour interrogation that he was the triggerman in some of the killings, The Washington Post reported.

In a story for Sunday editions posted on its Web site, The Post, citing sources, said Malvo provided details about several of the killings, and admitted shooting FBI analyst Linda Franklin on Oct. 14.

Malvo had already been charged with capital murder in the case, and was being interviewed after being moved to Fairfax County, where he will be tried.

Malvo and John Allen Muhammad, 41, are charged with carrying out the shooting spree over a three-week period in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. They are also accused of shootings in Alabama, Georgia and Louisiana.

In all, the pair have been accused of shooting 19 people, killing 13 of them. Two other shootings are under investigation.

Efforts to reach Robert F. Horan Jr., the Fairfax County prosecutor charged by Attorney General John Ashcroft with prosecuting the teenager, were not successful Saturday night. Calls to his home and office were not answered.

According to The Post, Malvo told investigators the shootings were well planned and involved scouting missions - and that he and his partner behaved like soldiers, one serving as a lookout and the other as the shooter.

The pair used two-way radios to communicate, the paper reported, and if traffic or other conditions weren't acceptable, they would not shoot. Sources said Malvo also said the pair moved around to create confusion, and watched news coverage of their crimes.

Malvo was chatty and even boastful during the interview, sources told The Post, but refused to talk about Muhammad - or to even mention his name, instead using the term ``we.''

Muhammad, 41, who is facing capital murder charges for the murder of a man as he pumped gas at a Manassas gas station, refused police efforts to interview him in Prince William County, remaining silent for hours and refusing to give his name to a booking clerk.

The Post said the sources spoke on the condition they not be identified, and that they declined to discuss other shootings that Malvo allegedly described in his interview.

Michael S. Arif, appointed to head Malvo's defense team, has said he will work to suppress any statements Malvo made during his session with federal and local officials.

``If in fact those are the statements Mr. Malvo made, there will be a motion to suppress those statements, as certain as the sun rises in the east,'' Arif told The Post.

Malvo and Arif met for 2 hours Saturday, the lawyer told The Post. A phone message left at Arif's Springfield office was not immediatley returned Saturday night.

Todd G. Petit, Malvo's appointed guardian, said he went to police headquarters at 6 p.m. Thursday and asked that questioning be halted. Petit said Friday a police commander agreed to pass on his request, then ordered him to leave the building.

The lawyer appointed to represent Muhammad, Peter D. Greenspun, said the interrogation of Malvo was part of a plot to give authorities several hours of access.

``All of this was . . . orchestrated so that they would get them to Virginia late in the afternoon when they couldn't get to court,'' he said.

``When little Johnny gets pulled out of school and the police question him about something everybody is outraged . . . but they forget about that when it's Mr. Malvo.''

That last quote is pure BS. We are not talking about a 10 year old kid who swiped the teacher's apple but a 17 year old murderer who is even bragging about what he did.

Joel

[Joel]

Lawyers seek to bar Malvo confession


McLEAN, Va. (AP) - Defense attorneys for the sniper suspects criticized the police interrogation of 17-year-old John Lee Malvo and said they would seek to bar his alleged confession from court.

Malvo reportedly confessed to being the triggerman in several of the Washington-area sniper shootings, including the Virginia slaying in which his alleged accomplice, 41-year-old John Allen Muhammad, is charged with murder.

Malvo's defense lawyer, Michael Arif, criticized police for questioning Malvo without his court-appointed guardian or attorney and for leaking the alleged confession to The Washington Post.

``The police are flooding the media and poisoning the jury pool with their own paraphrasing and subjective interpretations of statements made during an unconstitutional interrogation,'' Arif said.

He said the leak ``suggests an insecurity on the part of the commonwealth with the admissibility of these statements.''

Malvo talked to investigators for seven hours after he and Muhammad were handed over to Virginia authorities Thursday for prosecution on death-penalty murder charges. Sources told the Post that Malvo was talkative and even bragged in some of his responses, but kept quiet about Muhammad.

For a murder conviction, prosecutors must show that the defendant was the triggerman. However, Muhammad could face the death penalty even if he is not found to be the gunman under the state's post-Sept. 11 anti-terrorism law.

A Fairfax County police spokesman declined to comment on the interrogation, and Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Robert F. Horan Jr. did not return calls Sunday.

One of the shootings for which Malvo allegedly took responsibility is the Oct. 14 slaying of FBI analyst Linda Franklin. Malvo is charged with capital murder in that crime by Fairfax County prosecutors.

Muhammad is being prosecuted in Prince William County for the Oct. 9 slaying of Dean Harold Meyers. It is unclear how Malvo's alleged confession to that crime might affect Muhammad's case.

Muhammad's attorney, Peter Greenspun, declined to comment on the case directly, but said the interrogation of Malvo without his court-appointed representatives was wrong.

``I think everybody should be concerned about that, not just lawyers,'' he said.

Todd G. Petit, Malvo's appointed guardian, said he went to police headquarters at 6 p.m. Thursday and asked that questioning be halted. Petit said a police commander agreed to pass on his request, then ordered him to leave the building.

Arif said he will seek to suppress any incriminating statements.

Isn't the law that you have a right to remain silent and to have a lawyer present during questioning but if you are told this and still agree to talk then anything you say can and will be used againist you in the court of law. Am I right???

Specific Miranda warnings include the following statements:

You have the right to remain silent.
Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.
You have the right to talk to a lawyer and have him present with you during questioning.
If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be appointed to represent you, if you wish.

Intelligent waiver:

Do you understand each of these rights as I have explained them to you?
Having these rights in mind, do you wish to talk to us now?

Joel

[GNEP]

The problem is though that I thought that a jury has to be essentially unknowledgable about the alleged offences before the trial starts - and therefore not prejudiced. Any leaking to the press could prove to be the police's biggest mistake unfortunately.

[Wombat]

It won't matter too much on the jury front. They're already guaranteed to have to go through serious acrobatics as the defense pushes for change of venue, which probably ought to go through.

[KRSESQ]

They'd probably have to change the venue to Japan in order for these two to get a "fair trial" that will satisfy the defense attorneys.

Talk about thankless jobs!

Kevin

[Dr Mordrid]

Japan hell.....freakin' Pluto

Dr. Mordrid

[The PIT]

Originally posted by GNEP
The problem is though that I thought that a jury has to be essentially unknowledgable about the alleged offences before the trial starts - and therefore not prejudiced. Any leaking to the press could prove to be the police's biggest mistake unfortunately.

In the modern day that isn't any longer possible. Even families involved in the trail have been known to leak to the press before the jury makes up it's decision. This has caused a few mistrails.

[Goc]

I'm all against death penalty, but in this case you American guys have one, as I've been called here already, "liberal European weakling" on your side...
Teleport them ****oles to the chair... No way to rehab those morons, so save your money for the ones that need it...