Americans calling for blood: Poll, Politicians line up to back execution of serial snipers

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Oct. 26, 2002. 01:00 AM

By William Walker WASHINGTON BUREAU

WASHINGTON — In the wake of a 14-shot shooting spree that killed 10 people and wounded three more, Americans are demanding execution for the serial sniper suspects.

In a CNN Internet poll yesterday, an overwhelming 89 per cent of respondents said the two should face the death penalty if convicted. Only 11 per cent opposed it.

The visceral demand for two corpses in return for 10 is so powerful that politicians were tripping over each other yesterday lining up to oblige.

Alabama was first out of the gate in a race to put John Allen Muhammad, 41, and John Lee Malvo, 17, to death.

Officials in Montgomery, Ala., yesterday signed charges of first-degree murder in the liquor store shooting the two men are alleged to have committed.

"We intend to aggressively pursue the death penalty in our case," the city's police chief John Wilson said. "We're going to make an example of somebody."

But Governor Mark Warner of Virginia, where five of the attacks were carried out, said seeking the death penalty in his state would be more "appropriate."

"This case won't be tied up for years if it's in Virginia," bragged Richard Cullen, a former U.S. attorney in the state. "Our courts are used to dealing with the death penalty."

And eight of the shots were fired in Maryland's Montgomery County. Maryland Governor Parris Glendening said the state's death penalty moratorium — in place until next April, pending a study of the state justice system's fairness — will have expired by the time the sniper case is tried.

"The moratorium won't impact on this," he assured the public yesterday.

Maryland state attorney Doug Gansler later announced he would press six first-degree murder charges against both men, and that Malvo would be tried as an adult. Maryland authorities last night charged each with six counts of first-degree murder and said they would seek the death penalty against Muhammad.

Malvo could not, however, be sentenced to death in Maryland, he confirmed, adding that Virginia could do so.

Gansler's late-day news conference doesn't mean Maryland goes first. The federal government, which is holding the two men, could decide that honour would go to Virginia.

And Virginia has by far the most active death chamber of the states involved. Virginia also allows the execution of young offenders, potentially including the teenaged Malvo, while Maryland does not.

Virginia has executed 86 convicts since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. Maryland, with a similar population, has executed only three convicts since 1976.

Washington, D.C., Mayor Anthony Williams, who is seeking re-election, was left on the sidelines since D.C. doesn't have the death penalty. One victim was shot dead by the sniper in his city.

In the end, it's possible that Maryland, Virginia and Alabama could all try the two suspects and all three could sentence them to death, legal experts say, but that would be time-consuming.

Lurking in the shadows is U.S. Attorney-General John Ashcroft. He's believed to be weighing federal terrorism charges against the two — who acquaintances said sympathized with the Sept. 11 terrorists — and could seek the federal death penalty as he did against Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh.

It's become clear that with important mid-term elections to be held in less than two weeks, politicians are leaping on the death penalty bandwagon. It's a reversal of fortune for the controversial punishment in the United States.

Before the sniper's reign of terror, support for the death penalty had been falling across the United States. When the 100th death-row wrongful conviction was recently revealed, it became politically fashionable to question the practice. Currently, 38 states practise capital punishment.

Few are asking what would be served by executing Muhammad and Malvo. Studies have questioned the deterrence effect of the death penalty, and show it makes no difference in such extreme criminal cases.

There has been virtually no discussion in the U.S. media about what caused this killing spree. Like McVeigh, Muhammad was a bitter ex-military man who turned on his own country.

Some who are urging caution say it's time to examine the root causes of such crimes and try to prevent them.

But that hasn't swayed the candidates for Maryland governor, one of whom will be elected in two weeks.

Democrat Kathleen Kennedy Townsend said the death penalty is a "no-brainer" in the sniper case. But her Republican opponent, Robert Ehrlich, one-upped her. He would not only seek to execute Muhammad, but said he'd try to repeal Maryland's ban on executing juveniles, so Malvo could be executed as well.

-- Anonymous, October 26, 2002

Answers

In this case, it isn't the death penalty itself, but the manner of death they will receive.

Make it painful.

Oh, um, by the way, we are sure it's them, right?

-- Anonymous, October 27, 2002


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