A judge will decide today whether convicted sniper mastermind John Muhammad should die for his role in the October 2002 killing spree that left 10 people dead in the Washington DC area.

JURORS returned for a second day of deliberations yesterday on the fate of teenage sniper Lee Malvo, who could receive the death penalty for his role in last year’s string of Washington, DC, area killings.

A US jury was considering today whether Washington sniper Lee Malvo should live or die, after the teenager was convicted of capital murder over the three-week reign of terror.

The jury in the Washington sniper murder trial of Lee Malvo was due to consider its verdict today, after hearing closing arguments from both sides in the case.

Prosecutors have said Lee Malvo’s lawyers have not produced enough evidence to support an insanity defence in the Washington sniper trial.

Teenager sniper suspect Lee Malvo sought a way out of his “situation” a few months before the Washington attacks, a court was told.

THE ex-wife of Washington sniper John Muhammad has said she called police to report a car similar to the one used in the killing spree near her home — supporting a defence argument that she was the ultimate target.

The ex-wife of Washington sniper John Muhammad has said she called police to report a car similar to the one used in the killing spree near her home - supporting a defence argument that she was the ultimate target.

A cocky Lee Malvo laughed repeatedly during a police interrogation as he recounted some of last year’s Washington sniper attacks, saying of one victim, ”He was hit good. Dead immediately”, a detective told the murder trial.

In a chilling audio tape played for the jury, a soft-spoken Lee Malvo told police he pulled the trigger in all of the sniper attacks that terrified the Washington area.

Washington sniper John Muhammad was waiting today to hear if he would face the death penalty after being convicted of using a high-powered rifle, a battered car and a teenage sidekick to murder and terrorise people.

Washington sniper suspect John Muhammad gave up trying to be his own lawyer and put his fate back in the hands of his court-appointed lawyers, after two days of courtroom fumbling.

Lawyers for Washington sniper suspect Lee Malvo are to mount an insanity defence at his murder trial, arguing that the teenager was a victim of “indoctrination” by his older co-defendant John Muhammad.

By James Bob Caldwell IT now seems clear that what motivated John Muhammad, and Lee Boyd Malvo was money - $10m (€10.2m) in fact.

The two men arrested in connection with the Washington shootings were tracked down from a clue in one of the sniper's phone calls, according to reports.