US sniper suspect found guilty

US sniper suspect found guilty

US sniper suspect found guilty

Washington sniper suspect John Allen Mohammed has been found guilty of murder.

Jurors in the US state of Virginia decided that the 42-year-old Gulf War veteran was guilty of shooting dead Dean Meyers at a petrol station in Manassas, Virginia, on October 9th 2002.

Muhammad, who pleaded not guilty to the charges, could now receive the death penalty and may also face further murder charges relating to the spate of sniper killings, which terrorised residents on the east coast of America and left 10 people dead.

The jury at a court in Virginia Beach deliberated for four hours on Friday before returning on Monday and reaching a decision.

Another jury in nearby Chesapeake has been hearing testimony in the trial of Muhammad’s alleged accomplice, 18-year-old Lee Boyd Malvo.

He stands accused of murdering FBI analyst Linda Franklin, who was shot dead on October 14th in Falls Church, Virginia.

Mr Malvo’s lawyers claim that their client is innocent by reason of insanity and insist he was brainwashed by Muhammad, whom he looked up to as a father figure.