States seeking death penalty for sniper suspect Muhammad

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- As federal and state officials wrangled over who would get first crack at prosecuting the sniper suspects, Maryland authorities Friday night charged each with six counts of first-degree murder and said they would seek the death penalty against John Allen Muhammad.

Arrest warrants were issued for Muhammed and John Lee Malvo, charging them in the six sniper slayings in Montgomery County. The brief warrants list each of the victims' names, and accuse the suspects of "premeditated malice."

Earlier in the day, Alabama officials filed murder charges against the men for the fatal shooting of a woman during a liquor store robbery Sept. 21 in Montgomery, Ala., and plan to seek the death penalty.

State's Attorney Douglas Gansler said earlier that prosecutors in Maryland -- where the majority of deadly shootings took place -- will not pursue a death sentence for Malvo, if his age is confirmed. Malvo, believed to be 17, would be too young to be eligible for the death penalty under Maryland law, which sets a minimum age of 18.

"Obviously we have different views in Maryland and Virginia on whether to apply the death penalty to a juvenile," Gansler said. "We don't feel the death penalty is appropriate for juveniles."

The string of sniper attacks that began Oct. 2 left 10 people dead, including six in Maryland, three in Virginia and one in Washington, D.C. Three others were wounded.

Gansler had announced he would file murder charges after a meeting with prosecutors from jurisdictions where the killings took place. He said each of the jurisdictions has a vital interest in the case, but Montgomery County was the "community most affected and most impacted by the shootings."

But Gansler acknowledged no agreement was reached at the meeting as to which jurisdiction would take precedence, saying "it's a continuing dialogue."

Justice Department officials are still weighing whether to bring their own charges.

Escape attempt

Malvo tried to escape from an interrogation room sometime after his capture by going through a panel in the ceiling, but investigators were able to pull him back down, a law enforcement source told The Associated Press; it was not known where he was being held. Muhammad was being held in a maximum-security state prison in Baltimore, according to the Maryland Division of Correction.

Virginia and Alabama may be more likely than Maryland to actually carry out executions. Virginia has executed 86 people since 1976 -- more than any state but Texas. In the same period, Alabama has executed 23. Maryland has put just three people to death.