Sniper suspect elects not to testify

Convicted sniper John Allen Muhammad closed his defence for six sniper shootings in the US state of Maryland today after calling just a handful of witnesses and choosing not to testify.

Montgomery Circuit Court Judge James Ryan scheduled closing arguments for this afternoon, capping four weeks of testimony in Muhammad’s second trial for the 2002 sniper attacks that panicked the region around America’s capital for weeks.

Muhammad, who was already convicted of a Virginia shooting and sentenced to death, originally wanted to call hundreds of witnesses, but was limited to just a handful after he missed deadlines and failed to follow proper procedure for issuing subpoenas.

Several people who were subpoenaed refused to show up at court because they did not want to be part of Muhammad’s defence.

Muhammad, who is defending himself, indicated during jury selection that he might take the stand.

But when asked today whether he would, Muhammad stated, “Muhammad has no intention of testifying.”