LOOKING unshaven and unkempt, Washington sniper suspect John Allen Muhammad made his first appearance in a Virginia state court yesterday, a state second only to Texas in executions of adults and juveniles.

Two men have been charged in the rash of recent sniper shootings in the US as authorities on the West Coast said they were also suspects in the killing of a woman last winter and a shooting at a synagogue.

Millions of terrified residents around Washington stayed locked in their homes today after an eighth killing was linked to the serial sniper stalking the area.

A businessman shot while a police officer stood just 50 metres away was the 10th victim of a sniper who has been stalking the Washington area, police confirmed today.