At nine tonight Eastern time Virginia is expected to execute John Allen Muhammad, the senior of the two Washington-area snipers in 2002. Muhammad was tried in Virginia for one of the at least 10 sniper killings he carried out with Lee B. Malvo, who was 17 at the time and has been sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Muhammad was tried in Virginia first because it was the jurisdiction with the second most active execution chamber (after Texas). The particular killing was of Mr. Dean H. Myers at a Sunoco station in Manassas, Virginia.
The New York Times has the details.
I’m generally opposed to capital punishment, but I see no sense in keeping Mr. Muhammad around taking up space.
Agreed: good riddance.
I’m a fiscal conservative. It is cheaper to toss someone in a prison than foot the bills through the mandatory appeals process. That said, I don’t consider a cell with access to reading material (no TV, radio or gadgets) cruel and unusual punishment.
How interesting.
What should the country do with Nidal Malik Hasan ?
Should he be tried as a Traitor?
Should he be tried as a murderer?
Either way he’s likely to be executed.
Or maybe he could be sent to the Quantanamo Bay prisoner of war camp.