Sniper conviction upheld

An appeal court in Virginia has upheld the capital murder conviction and death sentence of Washington DC sniper mastermind John Muhammad.

A three-judge panel of the 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals issued its unanimous ruling in Richmond last night.

The panel rejected several claims by Muhammad, who said he never should have been allowed to act as his own lawyer for part of his 2003 trial because he was too mentally impaired.

The 2002 shootings by Muhammad and teenage accomplice Lee Malvo terrorised the Washington DC area. Ten people were killed in four states including Alabama and Louisiana, before the pair moved on to Virginia, Maryland and DC.

Muhammad’s lawyer Jonathan Sheldon, said he would appeal to the US Supreme Court.