No possibility of parole for sniper

Twice-convicted Washington, DC-area sniper John Allen Muhammad was today sentenced to six consecutive life terms with no possibility of parole, a sentence Maryland prosecutors described as insurance in case his Virginia death sentence is ever overturned.

Muhammad showed no emotion, but stood with his head bowed as the sentence was announced in Rockville, Maryland.

Some in the audience applauded.

Muhammad, 45, was convicted of murder on Tuesday in six of the 10 deadly sniper attacks that terrorised the area for three weeks in October 2002.

His young accomplice, Lee Boyd Malvo, took the stand at the Maryland trial and told jurors for the first time how the older man, his one-time mentor, trained him to shoot and drew him into a plan to kill people indiscriminately.

Malvo gave chilling details about Muhammad’s larger plan to shoot six people daily for 30 days, then plant explosives on school buses in an effort to target children.

Muhammad eventually wanted to train homeless children about weapons then send them to shut down commerce in cities with shootings and bombs.