STAR/TRIBUNE
JARRATT, Va. - Sniper John Allen Muhammad refused to utter any last words as he was executed, taking to the grave answers about why and how he plotted the killings of 10 people that terrorized the Washington, D.C., area for three weeks in October 2002.
The 48-year-old died by injection at 9:11 p.m. Tuesday as relatives of the victims watched from behind glass, separated from the rest of the 27 witnesses at Greensville Correctional Center, south of Richmond. Muhammad was executed for killing Dean Harold Meyers, who was shot in the head at a Manassas gas station during the spree across Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.
He never testified or explained why he masterminded the shootings with the help of a teenage accomplice. That left questions unanswered about why he methodically hunted people going about their daily chores, why he chose his victims, including a middle schooler on his way to class, and how many victims there were.
Muhammad stepped into Virginia's death chamber and within seconds was lying on a gurney, tapping his left foot, his arms spread wide with a needle dug into each. After the first of the three-drug lethal cocktail was administered, Muhammad blinked repeatedly and took about seven deep breaths. Within a minute, he was motionless.
Meyers' brother, Bob Meyers, said watching the execution was sobering and "surreal." He said other witnesses expressed a range of feelings, including some who were overcome with emotion. "I would have liked him at some point in the process to take responsibility, to show remorse," Meyers said. "We didn't get any of that tonight."
Nelson Rivera, whose wife, Lori Ann Lewis-Rivera, was gunned down as she vacuumed her van at a Maryland gas station, said that when he watched Muhammad's chest moving for the last time, he was glad.
I kind of think the death penalty is good and bad. What I mean is that no one deserves to die, but if you kill another person you deserve to die. I'm not trying to make this sound bad. I would say that Muhammad has the right to the death penalty but then again he doesnt.
ReplyDeleteDeath penalties seem so horrible. But you know what sounds worse? Assassinating 10 different people in the city of Washington D.C. I don't know why, but I've got a sinking feeling that the victims would have wanted him put to death, rather than being allowed to live in a cell, no matter how "unreasonable" the conditions may be. The teenage accomplice should be given extremely severe punishments for his actions as well. Trust me, I don't want every criminal in the world to receive the death penalty. Only those who deserve it. Chances are that Muhummad knew full well that capital punishment was going to be his consequence.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a total supporter of the death penalty but it is the most due punishment to such an apparent atrocity. He slaughtered as many as 10 innocent people and even didn't try to testify or explain the motive or the whole picture of the crime. It doesn't seem that he was really remorseful and feeling resposible to what he did. So I think Muhammad deserved to receive the death penalty.
ReplyDeleteI am strongly opposed to the death penalty, Even though he did murder 10 innocent people, it doesn't mean we can turn around and murder him - everyone has a right to life. Often times living with the weight of murder or other major crimes on your chest might be more of a punishment than being put to death.
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ReplyDeleteThe problem with that though, Abby, is the alternative to the death penalty is jail; and the problem with jail is that Muhammad could have been released early for good behavior. Sometimes this can be a good thing, however, when it comes to someone like this man, I doubt that he would have very good behavior walking amongst those that he views as "victims." The reason why I doubt he cares about those he killed is because he refused to apologize when he was asked if he wanted to say something. In the news recently, a man who raped a 12 year old girl had his jail sentence shortened by ex-governer Mike Huckabee, and later released early by two different judges. Compared to Muhammad, this man committed a misdemeaner. Only shortly after his release, he killed four cops. The reason I bring up this story is because this means a person who only commits a small crime (compared to Muhammad) still has a good chance of committing a far worse crime later, if he is allowed to be released. Now, I would like to forgive Muhammad for his actions, but I want him to first realize that he made a horrible mistake, which he did not. So, let's say that Muhammad would go to stay in jail for the rest of his life. This would STILL be a problem. The reason being because it sets a bad example for others who are thinking about becoming a murderer or assassin. Or, for them, a good example. True, everyone has a right to life, Abby; however, the 10 people that Muhammad killed also had a right to live. Sure Muhammad had that right, but giving him the death penatly is, oddly enough, a way of preserving that freedom. I say this because the lives of even more people would be at risk without the penalty.
ReplyDeleteI strongly agree with justin because i mean if you dont prosecute him he could get out with good behavior andafter killing innaseint people whywouldyou want him to get out to do the exact same thing.iI belive that the death penelty is wrong but it doesserve a purpose and it was used for the right thing.Most people in jail no that they can get porale and im sure thats exactly what he would have done if he went to jail.thus some people do get the death penatly for something that isnot as major as this which than the death penelty is completly wrong,but like i said in this case it was used for the right reason not the wrong!!!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Allison. I am not normally a fan of the death penilty but for this i agree with it. He killed 10 innocent people for no reason and wouldn't explain why or show sympathy when he saw the families. I would not want to put him in jail if he had the chance to get away with good behavior because he could just go and kill more people.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Heather. I usually am really against the death penalty because I feel like everybody should have the right to live, but when he is going around killing innocent people and not feeling bad about it, I don't think he deserves to live anymore. Justin said the he could be released early from jail for having good behavior, and this is totally wrong. If he doesn't get the death penalty, I think he should be in jail for life. I don't want a sniper that doesn't feel bad about killing random people running around in the streets, and I think there would be a lot of people that feel that way too.
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