Sniper suspects face death penalty

THE two men arrested on suspicion of involvement in the 10 Washington-area sniper slayings this month will be charged with murder and face the death penalty for an earlier killing in Alabama, authorities in the southern state said yesterday.

Montgomery Police Chief John Wilson said there was enough evidence to seek murder warrants against John Allen Muhammad, a 41-year-old Gulf War veteran, and his stepson John Lee Malvo, 17, for the killing of a woman at a liquor store in Montgomery on September 21.

"We are absolutely convinced we have a very strong case," Chief Wilson told a news conference in the Alabama capital. He added that the evidence against the two men included identifications from several witnesses.