Teenage sniper Malvo sentenced to life in prison

TEENAGE sniper Lee Boyd Malvo was sentenced to life in prison without parole yesterday for an October 2002 killing spree in the Washington DC area that left 10 people dead.

Malvo, aged 19, was sentenced a day after sniper mastermind John Allen Muhammad was given the death penalty. Malvo was silent at the brief hearing.

Malvo was convicted in December of the slaying of FBI analyst Linda Franklin, aged 47, outside a Home Depot store in Falls Church, Virginia. His defence team argued that Malvo had been moulded into a killer by the charismatic Muhammad.

Muhammad used his sentencing hearing on Tuesday to again deny any role in the killings, echoing a claim of innocence he made at the start of his trial.

"Just like I said at the beginning, I had nothing to do with this," Muhammad said.

But Circuit Judge LeRoy F Millette Jr said the evidence of Muhammad's guilt was "overwhelming" and sentenced him to death.

"These offences are so vile that they were almost beyond comprehension," Judge Millette said.

The judge had the option of reducing the jury's recommendation of death to life in prison without parole.

Circuit Judge Jane Marum Roush had no leeway to change the jury's recommendation of life in prison for Malvo because that is the minimum punishment allowed for a capital murder conviction.

Doug Keefer, a juror, said the jury made the right choice.

"For me the important part was he was convicted of the capital murder charges. It's my opinion there was some influence from John Muhammad," he said.

Defence lawyer Craig Cooley also said Muhammad was an influence. "We do not believe anyone could have observed the evidence ... and believed Lee Malvo would be here except for the influence of John Muhammad," he said.

It's unclear what will happen next with Malvo. Prosecutors in other states are seeking his extradition to face potential death-penalty charges there for killings that occurred in the weeks before the Washington sniper spree.