Woman killed during robbery died from rifle shot, trial told

A woman killed outside an Alabama liquor store the month before the Washington-area sniper spree probably died from a shot from a high-powered rifle, a witness testified yesterday.

The day after a courthouse power failure halted the proceedings, the trial of sniper suspect John Allen Muhammad resumed with testimony that could indicate that Muhammad himself fired the fatal shot in the Alabama case.

Emily Ward, a medical examiner with the state of Alabama, testified that Claudine Parker, 52, died after being shot in the back. Parker was killed during a robbery on September 21, 2002, in Montgomery, Alabama.