Editing John Allen Muhammad

{{Short description|American serial killer (1960–2009)}}
{{redirect|John Muhammad|the St. Louis politician|John Collins-Muhammad}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2012}}
{{Infobox criminal
| name              = John Allen Muhammad
| image             = John Allen Muhammad.png
| caption           = John A. Muhammad in military uniform in the early 1990s
| birth_name        = John Allen Williams
| alias             = The Beltway Sniper<br />The D.C. Sniper
| birth_date        = {{Birth date|1960|12|31}}
| birth_place       = [[Baton Rouge, Louisiana]], U.S.
| death_date        = {{Death date and age|2009|11|10|1960|12|31}}
| death_place       = [[Greensville Correctional Center]], [[Jarratt, Virginia]], U.S.
| cause             = [[Execution by lethal injection]]
| victims           = 10 killed, 3 injured (D.C. metropolitan area)<br />7 killed, 7 injured elsewhere
| country           = United States
| states            = [[Alabama]], [[Arizona]], [[California]], [[Florida]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], [[Louisiana]], [[Maryland]], [[Texas]], [[Virginia]], [[Washington (state)|Washington state]], and [[Washington, D.C.]]
| beginyear         = February 16, 2002
| endyear           = October 23, 2002
| apprehended       = October 24, 2002
| penalty           = '''Maryland'''<br>[[Life imprisonment without parole]]<br>'''Virginia'''<br>[[Capital punishment in Virginia|Death]]
| module            = {{Infobox military person
| allegiance = {{flagu|United States}}
| branch = {{Flagdeco|Louisiana|1912}} [[Louisiana Army National Guard]] (1978–1985)<br />{{army|United States}} (1985–1994)
| serviceyears = 1978–1994
| rank = [[Sergeant]]
| unit = [[15th Engineer Battalion (United States)|15th Engineer Battalion]], [[9th Infantry Division (United States)|9th Infantry Division]]<br />[[13th Engineer Battalion]], [[7th Infantry Division (United States)|7th Infantry Division]]<br />[[14th Engineer Battalion]], [[2nd Infantry Division (United States)|2nd Infantry Division]]
| battles = [[Gulf War]]
| battles_label = War
| awards = {{plainlist|
*[[Achievement Medal]]
*[[Southwest Asia Service Medal]]
*Kuwait Liberation Medal ([[Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia)|Saudi Arabia]], [[Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)|Kuwait]])
}}
| embed = yes
}}
| conviction        = '''Maryland'''<br>[[First degree murder]] (6 counts)<br>'''Virginia'''<br>[[Capital murder]]<br>[[Conspiracy to commit murder]]<br>[[Criminal possession of a weapon|Use of a firearm in the commission of a felony]]
| criminal_status   = [[Executed]]
}}

'''John Allen Muhammad''' (born '''John Allen Williams'''; December 31, 1960&nbsp;– November 10, 2009) was an American [[spree killer|serial killer]] who, along with his partner and accomplice [[Lee Boyd Malvo]] (then aged 17), carried out the [[D.C. sniper attacks]] of October 2002, killing seventeen people.<!-- see infobox --> Muhammad and Malvo were arrested in connection with the attacks on October 24, 2002, following tips from alert citizens. 

A native of [[Baton Rouge, Louisiana]], Muhammad changed his surname after joining the [[Nation of Islam]] in 1987.<ref name="CNN2004">{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/10/24/muhammad.profile|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050912190833/http://archives.cnn.com/2002/US/10/24/muhammad.profile|archive-date=September 12, 2005|publisher=Time Warner|work=CNN|title=Muhammad a Gulf War vet, Islam convert|access-date=September 12, 2005|date=January 26, 2004}}</ref> At Muhammad's trial, the [[prosecution]] claimed that the attacks were part of a plot to kill his ex-wife and regain custody of his children, but the judge ruled that there was insufficient evidence to support this argument.<ref name="Ex_Wife">{{cite news|title=Sniper Threatened to Kill Her, Ex-Wife Tells Court|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-nov-20-na-sniper20-story.html|work=Los Angeles Times|date=November 20, 2003}}<br />{{cite book|last=Horwitz|first=Ruane|title=Sniper: Inside the Hunt for the Killers Who Terrorized the Nation|year=2004|publisher=Random House|isbn=034547662X|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/sniper00sari}}</ref>

Muhammad's trial for one of the murders (of Dean Harold Meyers in [[Prince William County, Virginia|Prince William County]], [[Virginia]]) began in October 2003, and ended with his conviction for [[capital murder]]. Four months later he was [[Capital punishment in Virginia|sentenced to death]]. While awaiting execution in Virginia, in August 2005, Muhammad was [[extradition|extradited]] to [[Maryland]] for trial, resulting in his conviction on six counts of [[first-degree murder]] in May 2006. Upon completion of the trial activity in Maryland, he was returned to Virginia pending an agreement with another state or the [[District of Columbia]] seeking to try him. He was not tried on additional charges in other Virginia jurisdictions and faced potential trials in three other states and the District of Columbia involving other murders and attempted murders. All [[appeal]]s of his conviction for killing Meyers had been rejected. Appeals for Muhammad's other trials remained pending at the time of his execution.<ref name="Appeals">{{cite news|last=Mears|first=Bill|title=Lawyers ask U.S. Supreme Court to block execution of Beltway sniper|url=http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/11/03/beltway.sniper.appeal/index.html|access-date=November 7, 2017|work=CNN|date=November 3, 2009}}</ref>

Muhammad was executed by [[lethal injection]] on November 10, 2009, at 9:06&nbsp;p.m. [[Eastern Time Zone|EST]] at the [[Greensville Correctional Center]] near<!--It's not in the city limits--> [[Jarratt, Virginia]], and was pronounced dead at 9:11&nbsp;p.m. EST.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,573829,00.html|title=D.C. Sniper Muhammad Executed in Virginia|work=[[Fox News]]|date=November 12, 2009|access-date=March 23, 2013}}</ref> Muhammad declined to make a final statement.<ref name=FinalStatement>{{cite news|last1=Meserve|first1=Jeanne|last2=Ahlers|first2=Mike M.|url=http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/11/10/virginia.sniper.execution/index.html|title=Sniper John Allen Muhammad executed|work=[[CNN]]|date=November 11, 2009|access-date=March 23, 2013}}</ref>

==Early life==
John Allen Muhammad was born John Allen Williams in [[Baton Rouge, Louisiana|Baton Rouge]], [[Louisiana]], to Ernest and Eva Williams. John and his family moved to [[New Orleans]] when his mother was diagnosed with [[breast cancer]]; she died when he was three years old.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://maamodt.asp.radford.edu/Psyc%20405/serial%20killers/Muhammad,%20John%20Allen%20-%202005.pdf|title=John Allen Muhammad|website=Radford University|location=Radford, Virginia|access-date=April 5, 2016}}</ref> His father left the family soon afterward, leaving John to be raised mainly by his maternal grandfather and an aunt.

In 1987, at the age of 26, Williams joined the [[Nation of Islam]], and subsequently helped provide security for the "[[Million Man March]]" in 1995. Nation of Islam leader [[Louis Farrakhan]] has publicly distanced himself and his organization from the D.C. sniper attacks.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/article_2285.shtml|title=Minister Louis Farrakhan addresses sniper arrest|website=Finalcall.com|access-date=November 30, 2016}}</ref>

In 1999, Williams [[kidnapping|kidnapped]] his children and took them to Antigua, apparently engaging in credit card and immigration document fraud. It was during this time that he became close with [[Lee Boyd Malvo]], a Jamaican child who later acted as his partner in the killings.

Williams changed his name to John Allen Muhammad in October 2001.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/10/24/muhammad.profile/|title=Muhammad a Gulf War vet, Islam convert: Ex-wife described as 'in shock' over Muhammad's arrest|website=[[CNN]]|date=January 26, 2004|access-date=September 21, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050912190833/http://archives.cnn.com/2002/US/10/24/muhammad.profile|archive-date=September 12, 2005}}</ref> After his arrest, authorities also claimed that Muhammad admitted that he admired and modeled himself after [[Osama bin Laden]] and [[al-Qaeda]] and approved of the [[September 11 attacks]]. Malvo testified that Muhammad had indoctrinated him into believing that the proceeds of an extortion attempt would be used to establish "a camp in [[Canada]] where homeless children would be trained as terrorists."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/high-profile-mass-murder-cases/5|title=Lee Boyd Malvo – High-profile mass murder cases – Pictures|website=[[CBS News]]|date=April 24, 2013 |access-date=November 30, 2016}}</ref>

Muhammad was twice divorced; his second ex-wife, [[Mildred Muhammad]], sought and was granted a [[restraining order]], alleging abuse.<ref>{{Cite web|publisher=iHeartRadio|author=TenderfootTV|url=https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/monster-dc-sniper/id1490902086|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200720192817/https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/monster-dc-sniper/id1490902086|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 20, 2020|quote=In this post-season bonus episode, we hear Mildred Muhammad's story of surviving John's abuse, rebuilding her life and helping other domestic abuse survivors.|title=S3 Bonus: Mildred Muhammad's Story|date=April 30, 2020|work=Monster: DC Sniper}}</ref> Muhammad was arrested on federal charges of violating the restraining order by possessing a weapon. Under federal law, those with restraining orders are prohibited from purchasing or possessing guns, as per the [[Domestic Violence Offender Gun Ban|Lautenberg Amendment]] to the [[Gun Control Act of 1968]].<ref name=Identify>{{cite web|url=https://www.atf.gov/firearms/identify-prohibited-persons|title=Identify Prohibited Persons|publisher=ATF.gov|date=30 September 1996|access-date=7 December 2013}}</ref>

Defense attorneys in the Malvo trial and prosecutors in Muhammad's trial argued that the ultimate goal of the Beltway sniper murders was to kill Mildred in order to regain custody of his three children.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/12/01/sprj.dcsp.malvo.trial/index.html|title=Sniper's ex-wife: Muhammad was 'magnet' for children|date=December 1, 2003|website=[[CNN]]|access-date=April 5, 2016}}</ref>

==Military service==
In August 1978, Muhammad enlisted in the [[Louisiana Army National Guard]] at [[Baton Rouge, Louisiana|Baton Rouge]] as a [[combat engineer]]. He transferred to the Regular Army on November 6, 1985, and was trained as a mechanic, truck driver and specialist metalworker. He qualified with the Army's standard rifle, the [[M16 (rifle)|M16]], earning the [[Marksmanship Badge (United States)|Expert Rifleman's Badge]]. This is the Army's highest of three levels of basic rifle marksmanship for a soldier.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://alextizon.com/2002/11/john-muhammad%E2%80%99s-meltdown|title=John Muhammad's Meltdown: The Story of the Beltway Sniper|work=[[The Seattle Times]]|last=Tizon|first=Alex|date=November 10, 2002|access-date=October 25, 2013}}</ref>

Muhammad's first tour was with the [[15th Engineer Battalion (United States)|15th Engineer Battalion]] at [[Fort Lewis (Washington)|Fort Lewis]] in 1985. In 1991, he served in the [[Gulf War]] with a company that dismantled [[Iraqi chemical weapons program|Iraqi chemical warfare]] rockets, service for which he received the [[Southwest Asia Service Medal]], the [[Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia)]] and the [[Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Tackett|first=Michael|date=October 25, 2002|title=The Suspects|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2002/10/25/the-suspects-2/|work=[[The Chicago Tribune]]|access-date=June 30, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|date=October 24, 2002|title=Sniper Suspect's Military Service Details Released|url=http://archive.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=42571|work=Department of Defense|access-date=June 30, 2017|archive-date=September 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170902091426/http://archive.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=42571|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 1992, he was at [[Fort Ord]], California, with the 13th Engineers and in 1993 was back at Fort Lewis with the [[14th Engineer Battalion]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Hess|first=Pamela|date=October 24, 2002|title=DC sniper suspect 'expert' Army marksman|url=http://www.upi.com/DC-sniper-suspect-expert-Army-marksman/92261035492262|work=UPI|access-date=June 30, 2017}}</ref>

Muhammad was honorably discharged from the Army with the rank of [[sergeant]] on April 26, 1994, after 16 years of service. He received the following awards: [[Army Service Ribbon]], [[National Defense Service Medal]], [[Overseas Service Ribbon|Overseas Ribbon]], [[Non-Commissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon|Noncommissioned Officers Professional Development Ribbon]] and [[Achievement Medal|Army Achievement Medal]].<ref>{{cite news|author=<!-- none listed-->|title=Muhammad Had 17-Year Army Career|url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/muhammad-had-17-year-army-career|work=[[Fox News]]|date=October 25, 2002|access-date=June 30, 2017|agency=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref>

==D.C. sniper attacks==
{{Main|D.C. sniper attacks}}
Police followed a lead in which Muhammad or Malvo left a note at one of the shootings to tell the police to investigate a liquor store robbery-murder that had occurred in [[Montgomery, Alabama]]. Investigators responding to that crime scene found one of the suspects had dropped a magazine with his fingerprints on it; these were subsequently identified as belonging to Malvo, whose prints were on file with the [[Immigration and Naturalization Service|INS]] and who was known to associate with Muhammad. They had lived together for around a year in [[Tacoma, Washington]], where Malvo used the alias John Lee Malvo.<ref>{{cite news|last=White|first=Josh|date=September 29, 2012|title=Lee Boyd Malvo, 10 years after D.C. area sniper shootings: 'I was a monster'|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/lee-boyd-malvo-10-years-after-dc-area-sniper-shootings-i-was-a-monster/2012/09/29/a1ef1b42-04d8-11e2-8102-ebee9c66e190_story.html|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=June 30, 2017}}</ref>

Muhammad's identification led to the discovery that he had purchased a former police car, a blue [[Chevrolet Caprice]], in [[New Jersey]] on September 11, 2002.<ref>{{cite news|last=McFadden|first=Robert|title=Retracing a Trial: the Vehicle |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/27/us/retracing-trail-vehicle-owner-car-linked-sniper-attacks-seized-michigan-material.html|work=The New York Times|date=October 27, 2002 |access-date=June 30, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Siegel|first=Andrea|date=May 18, 2006|title=Sniper jurors view Caprice|url=http://www.southflorida.com/bal-md.ar.sniper18may18-story.html|work=The Baltimore Sun|access-date=June 30, 2017|archive-date=September 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170902092206/http://www.southflorida.com/bal-md.ar.sniper18may18-story.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> A lookout broadcast to the public on that vehicle resulted in the arrest of Muhammad and Malvo when the car was spotted parked at an [[Interstate 70]] rest stop in [[Myersville, Maryland]].<ref>{{cite news|date=October 25, 2002|title=Sniper-Spotting Trucker a Humble Hero|url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/sniper-spotting-trucker-a-humble-hero/|work=[[Fox News]]|access-date=June 30, 2017}}</ref>

==Criminal case==
{{more citations needed|section|date=December 2016}}
On October 24, 2002, Muhammad was captured in Maryland, where most of the attacks and murders occurred. Although Maryland sought to bring him to trial, [[United States Attorney General|United States attorney general]] [[John Ashcroft]] reassigned<ref>United States Department of Justice – Statement Of The Attorney General of the United States in re: Jurisdictional Motions of the Several States Seeking Relief For Primary Jurisdiction; Awarding of Jurisdiction to the Commonwealth of Virginia, The Commonwealth's Attorney for Prince William County.</ref> the case to the jurisdiction of Paul Ebert, the Commonwealth's Attorney for [[Prince William County, Virginia]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-sniper9-2009nov09,0,3520756.story|title=D.C. sniper set to be executed Tuesday|date=September 16, 2009|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=November 9, 2009|first=David G.|last=Savage}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/sniper/timeline_investigation.html|title=Timeline: Investigation and court case|date=May 24, 2006|website=[[CBC News]]|access-date=November 9, 2009}}</ref> Virginia was viewed as more likely to impose a death sentence, which was borne out by the Virginia and Maryland verdicts. Virginia also allowed the death penalty for juveniles.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/10/AR2005051001054.html|title=Va. Will Send Snipers To Md. for Prosecution|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=February 17, 2011|first1=Tom|last1=Jackman|first2=David|last2=Snyder|date=May 11, 2005}}</ref>

In October 2003, Muhammad went on trial for the murder of Dean Meyers. The crime had occurred in Prince William County, near the city of [[Manassas, Virginia]]. The trial had been moved from Prince William County to [[Virginia Beach]], approximately 200 miles away. Muhammad was granted the right to represent himself in his defense and dismissed his legal counsel, though he immediately switched back to having legal representation after his opening statement. He was charged with murder, terrorism, [[conspiracy (crime)|conspiracy]] and the illegal use of a firearm and faced a possible death sentence.

Prosecutors said the shootings were part of a plot to extort $10 million from local and state governments. The prosecution said that they would make the case for 16 shootings allegedly involving Muhammad. The terrorism charge against Muhammad required prosecutors to prove he committed at least two shootings in a three-year period.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/11/10/muhammad.trial/index.html|title=Prosecution rests in Muhammad trial|website=[[CNN]]|date=November 10, 2003|accessdate=August 25, 2023}}</ref>

The prosecution called more than 130 witnesses and introduced more than 400 pieces of evidence intended to prove that Muhammad undertook the murders and ordered Malvo to help carry them out. Evidence included a rifle found in Muhammad's car that was linked by [[ballistics test]]s to eight of the 10 killings in the Washington area and two others in Louisiana and Alabama; the car, which was modified so that a sniper could shoot from inside the trunk; and a laptop computer, also found in the car, that contained maps with icons pinpointing shooting scenes. Witness accounts put Muhammad across the street from one shooting and his car near the scene of several others. There was also a recorded phone call to a police hotline in which a man, his voice identified by a detective as Muhammad's, demanded money in exchange for stopping the shootings.<ref>{{cite news|first=Alex|last=Tizon|url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=20021110&slug=killer103|title=Sniper suspect John Allen Muhammad's meltdown
|newspaper=[[Seattle Times]]|date=November 10, 2002|accessdate=August 25, 2023}}</ref>

Muhammad's defense asked the court to drop the capital murder charges because there was no direct evidence. Malvo's fingerprints were on the Bushmaster rifle found in Muhammad's car and DNA from Muhammad was discovered on the rifle, but the defense contended that Muhammad could not be put to death under Virginia's "trigger-man law" unless he actually pulled the trigger to kill Meyers, and nobody testified that they saw him do so.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna7605059|title=Court upholds D.C. sniper death penalty|website=[[NBC News]]|agency=[[Associated Press]]|date=April 22, 2005|access-date=September 8, 2020}}</ref>

On November 17, 2003, Muhammad was convicted of all four counts in the indictment against him: capital murder for the shooting of Meyers; capital murder under Virginia's antiterrorism statute for homicide committed with an intent to terrorize the government or the public at large; [[conspiracy (crime)|conspiracy]] to commit murder; and the illegal use of a firearm. In the penalty phase of the trial, the jury, after five hours of deliberation over two days, unanimously recommended that Muhammad be sentenced to death. On March 9, 2004, a Virginia judge agreed with the jury's recommendation and sentenced John Allen Muhammad to death.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/03/09/sniper/|title=Sniper Muhammad sentenced to death|website=[[CNN]]|date=March 9, 2004|access-date=September 8, 2020}}</ref>

On April 22, 2005, the Virginia Supreme Court affirmed his death penalty, stating that Muhammad could be sentenced to death because the murder was part of an act of terrorism. The court also rejected an argument by defense lawyers that he could not be sentenced to death because he was not the triggerman in the killings. Virginia Supreme Court Justice [[Donald W. Lemons]] said at the time, "With calculation, extensive planning, premeditation and ruthless disregard for life, Muhammad carried out his cruel scheme of terror."<ref name="NBC News">{{cite news|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna7605059|title=Court upholds D.C. sniper death penalty|author=<!--none given-->|work=[[NBC News]]|date=April 22, 2005|access-date=October 2, 2019}}</ref>

In May 2005, Maryland and Virginia reached an agreement to allow his extradition to face Maryland charges. He was held at the maximum security [[Sussex I State Prison]] near [[Waverly, Virginia|Waverly, Sussex County, Virginia]], which houses Virginia's male [[death row]] inmates. In August 2005, while awaiting [[execution (legal)|execution]] in Virginia, he was extradited to [[Montgomery County, Maryland]] to face charges there.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/convicted-dc-sniper-extradited-to-maryland-for-second-trial|title=Convicted DC Sniper Extradited to Maryland for Second Trial|website=[[Fox News]]|date=August 22, 2005|access-date=September 8, 2020}}</ref>

On May 30, 2006, a Maryland jury found Muhammad guilty of six counts of murder. He was sentenced to six consecutive life terms without possibility of parole on June 1, 2006. Neither Alabama, Arizona, Louisiana nor Washington (state) moved to try Muhammad, given his death sentence for murder in Virginia. In 2006, Malvo confessed that the pair also killed 14 victims in California, Arizona, and Texas.<ref>{{cite news|first=Arnold H.|last=Rotstein|url=https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/convicted-sniper-confesses-to-2002-arizona-killing-police-say/|title=Convicted sniper confesses to 2002 Arizona killing, police say|newspaper=[[Seattle Times]]|date=October 28, 2006|accessdate=August 25, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first1=Richard|last1=Winton|first2=Doug|last2=Smith|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-jun-17-me-sniper17-story.html|title=D.C. Sniper Confesses to L.A. Slaying|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=June 17, 2006|accessdate=August 25, 2023}}</ref>

On May 6, 2008, it was revealed that Muhammad asked prosecutors in a letter to help him end legal appeals of his conviction and death sentence "so that you can murder this innocent black man." An appeal filed by Muhammad's defense lawyers in April 2008 cited evidence of [[brain damage]] that would render Muhammad incompetent to make legal decisions and that he should not have been allowed to represent himself at his Virginia trial.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/05/06/dc.sniper.ap/index.html|title=D.C. sniper wants to drop death row appeals|author=<!--none given-->|work=[[CNN]]|date=May 6, 2008|access-date=October 2, 2019|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080507163658/http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/05/06/dc.sniper.ap/index.html|archive-date=May 7, 2008}}</ref>

On September 16, 2009, Prince William County Circuit Court Judge Mary Grace O'Brien set Muhammad's execution date for November 10, 2009.<ref name="WaPo_date"><!--According to WaPo, "Prince William County Circuit Court Judge Mary Grace O'Brien chose the date during a teleconference with lawyers in the case Wednesday morning", i.e., Wednesday, September 16, 2009-->{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/16/AR2009091601043.html|title=November Execution Date Set for Muhammad|date=September 17, 2009|access-date=November 13, 2009|newspaper=The Washington Post|last=Markon|first=Jerry}}</ref><ref name="BBC_date">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/8259319.stm|title=Execution date set for US sniper|date=September 16, 2009|work=BBC News|access-date=November 9, 2009}}</ref> On November 9, 2009, Muhammad's petition for review of his death sentence was denied by the [[U.S. Supreme Court]].<ref name="WaPo_scotus">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/09/AR2009110901741.html|date=November 9, 2009|access-date=November 9, 2009|last=Barnes|first=Robert|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|title=Supreme court denies request to stay D.C. sniper's execution}}</ref><ref name="LAT_scotus">{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-sniper-execution-court10-2009nov10,0,866968.story|title=Supreme Court refuses to halt Beltway sniper's execution|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|last=Savage|first=David G.|date=November 9, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091112075314/http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-sniper-execution-court10-2009nov10%2C0%2C866968.story|archive-date=November 12, 2009|access-date=January 4, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> Justice [[John Paul Stevens]], joined by Justices [[Ruth Bader Ginsburg]] and [[Sonia Sotomayor]], wrote a separate opinion stating that Virginia's rush to set an execution date "highlights once again the perversity of executing inmates before their appeals process has been fully concluded"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/09pdf/09-7328.pdf|title=Statement of Stevens, J. On Application for Stay and on Petition For a Writ of Certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit|date=November 9, 2009|access-date=November 10, 2009|publisher=[[Supreme Court of the United States]]|last=Stevens|first=John Paul}}</ref> while noting that they concurred with the decision that the appeal ought not be heard.

==Civil case==
In 2003, Malvo and Muhammad were named in a civil lawsuit by the Legal Action Project of the [[Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence]] on behalf of two of their victims who were seriously wounded and the families of some of those murdered. Although Malvo and Muhammad were each believed to be [[wikt:indigent|indigent]], co-defendants [[Bull's Eye Shooter Supply]] and [[Bushmaster Firearms, Inc.]] contributed to a landmark $2.5 million out-of-court settlement in late 2004.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A8763-2004Sep9.html|title=Gunmaker, Store Agree To Payout in Sniper Case|website=Washingtonpost.com|access-date=2016-04-05}}</ref>

==Testimony of Lee Boyd Malvo==
In Muhammad's May 2006 trial in [[Montgomery County, Maryland]], Malvo, who was sentenced to a term of life without parole (later commuted to life with parole) for his role in the shootings, confessed to a more detailed version of the pair's plans.<ref name=Plan>{{cite news|author=<!--none given-->|title=Accomplice reveals Washington sniper's terror plan|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=May 23, 2006|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/may/23/usgunviolence.usa|access-date=July 17, 2007}}</ref> After psychological counseling, he admitted that he was lying at the earlier Virginia trial when he admitted to being the trigger man for every shooting. He said he lied to save Muhammad from a death penalty sentence. Malvo believed that he would not face the death penalty because he was a minor. In two days of testimony, Malvo outlined detailed aspects of all the shootings.<ref>{{cite news|last=Ahlers|first=Mike|title=Malvo: Muhammad 'made me a monster' Younger man cross-examined by former mentor in sniper trial|website=[[CNN]]|date=May 23, 2006|url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/05/23/sniper.trial/index.html|access-date=July 17, 2007}}</ref>

Part of his testimony concerned Muhammad's complete plan with three phases in the [[Washington, D.C.]] and [[Baltimore]] metro areas. Phase one consisted of meticulously planning, mapping and practicing their locations around the D.C. area so after each shooting they could quickly leave the area on a predetermined path and continue to the next location. Muhammad's goal in phase one was to kill six white people a day for 30 days.<ref name=SixWhites>{{cite news |last1=Mount |first1=Harry |title=The sniper's plan: kill six whites a day for 30 days |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/1519411/The-snipers-plan-kill-six-whites-a-day-for-30-days.html |access-date=18 March 2021 |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=25 May 2006}}</ref> Malvo described how phase one did not go as planned due to heavy traffic and the lack of a clear shot or getaway routes.

Phase two was meant to be undertaken in Baltimore, but was never carried out. It was to begin with the killing of a pregnant woman by a shot to the abdomen. The next step was to have been the killing of a Baltimore police officer and, at the officer's funeral, to detonate [[improvised explosive device]]s that contained shrapnel to kill police officers attending the funeral.

Phase three was to begin during phase two. It was to extort millions of dollars from the United States government. The money would be used to pay for travel to Canada, stopping en route at [[YMCA]]s and orphanages to recruit impressionable young boys with no parents or guidance. Once he recruited a large number of young boys and arrived in Canada, Muhammad would train the boys with weapons and send them across the United States to carry out mass shootings as he had done in Washington, D.C. and Baltimore.

==Execution==
On November 10, 2009, hours before Muhammad's scheduled execution, pleas for [[clemency]] made by his attorneys were denied by [[Virginia Governor]] [[Tim Kaine]].<ref name=Denied>{{cite news|title=Muhammad is executed for sniper killing|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/10/AR2009111001396.html?hpid=topnews|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=November 11, 2009|first1=Josh|last1=White|first2=Maria|last2=Glod}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.governor.virginia.gov/MediaRelations/NewsReleases/viewRelease.cfm?id%3D1138|title=Statement of Governor Kaine On the Scheduled Execution of John Allen Muhammad|date=November 17, 2003|access-date=November 10, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091111202311/http://www.governor.virginia.gov/MediaRelations/NewsReleases/viewRelease.cfm?id=1138|archive-date=November 11, 2009}}</ref>

Under Virginia law at the time, a defendant convicted of capital murder was allowed to choose the method by which he or she will be put to death&mdash;either [[lethal injection]] or [[electric chair|electrocution]]. As Muhammad declined to select a method, by law the method of lethal injection was selected for him. He was offered a selection of a [[last meal]], which he accepted. Muhammad's last meal consisted of chicken, red sauce, and cake.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/11/10/virginia.sniper.execution/index.html|title=Sniper John Allen Muhammad executed|last1=Meserve|first1=Jeanne|last2=Ahlers|first2=Mike M.|date=November 11, 2009|website=[[CNN]]|access-date=October 2, 2010|location=Jarratt, Virginia|quote=The lawyer said Muhammad's last meal was "chicken and red sauce, and he had some cakes.}}</ref>

Muhammad declined to make a final statement and his execution began at 9&nbsp;p.m. [[Eastern Time Zone|EST]] at the [[Greensville Correctional Center]], [[Greensville County, Virginia|Greensville County]], near [[Jarratt, Virginia]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.aol.com/article/dc-sniper-john-allen-muhammad-set-to-be/759961|title=Kaine Clears Way for Sniper's Execution|website=[[AOL News]]|last=Potter|first=Dena|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091111190620/http://news.aol.com/article/dc-sniper-john-allen-muhammad-set-to-be/759961|archive-date=November 11, 2009|access-date=January 4, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local-beat/Will-Kaine-Stop-Snipers-Execution-69642302.html|title=Kaine Clears Way for D.C. Sniper's Execution|agency=[[Associated Press]]|website=[[NBC Washington]]}}</ref> The lethal injection process began at 9:06&nbsp;p.m. EST. Muhammad was pronounced dead at 9:11&nbsp;p.m. EST.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_sniper_execution|title=Silent DC sniper mastermind Muhammad executed|last=Potter|first=Dena|date=November 11, 2009|work=[[Yahoo! News]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091117070136/http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_sniper_execution|archive-date=November 17, 2009|access-date=January 4, 2012}}</ref>

Muhammad's body was cremated, and the ashes given to his son in Louisiana.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/son-dc-sniper-lives-dads-shadow/story?id=10249182&page=2|title=Son of Infamous 'D.C. Sniper' John Allen Muhammad Lives in Dad's Shadow|website=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110126153418/https://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/son-dc-sniper-lives-dads-shadow/story?id=10249182&page=2|archive-date=January 26, 2011|access-date=January 4, 2012}}</ref>

==In film==
Muhammad is portrayed by [[Bobby Hosea]] in the 2003 film ''[[D.C. Sniper: 23 Days of Fear]]'', by [[Ken Foree]] in the 2010 film ''[[D.C. Sniper]]'' and by [[Isaiah Washington]] in the 2013 film ''[[Blue Caprice]]'', and is portrayed anonymously in the 2020 series ''I, Sniper''.

==See also==
* [[List of rampage killers in the United States]]
* [[List of people executed in Virginia]]
* [[List of people executed in the United States in 2009]]
* [[List of serial killers by number of victims]]
* [[List of serial killers in the United States]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/25/national/25INQU.html An Angry Telephone Call Provided One Crucial Clue], ''The New York Times'', October 25, 2002 – explains tracking and arrest of Muhammad
* [http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/article_2285.shtml Louis Farrakhan addresses sniper arrest] Press Conference Transcript, October 26, 2002
* {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080605183003/http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2002/sniper.legal/|date=June 5, 2008|title=CNN Special Report: Sniper Attacks, the legal case}}
* [http://news.findlaw.com/cnn/docs/sniper/vamhmmd102802pwind.pdf Indictment Virginia. v. Muhammad]
* [http://news.findlaw.com/cnn/docs/sniper/vamhmd71503vord.pdf Order changing venue: Virginia v. Muhammad]
* [https://nytimes.com/2003/11/11/national/11SNIP.html?hp NY Times – Prosecution closes case]

{{Authority control}}

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