The arrest of sniper suspects John Muhammed and John Malvo at first seemed to have ended the story of violence that gripped the D.C. area for over three weeks. However, the suspects have now been linked to other crimes across the nation, leading the Justice Department to debate where the two men should first be tried.
Attorney General John Ashcroft publically stated that his goal for the trial is to impose the death penalty on both Muhammed and 17-year-old Malvo. He is currently vetting various judges and districts across the country to find the one most likely to to do so. But Ashcroft’s focus should be on securing a conviction, not on producing a punishment.
Although the amount of evidence against them leaves little doubt as to their guilt, Muhammed and Malvo are entitled to a fair trial, and their defense lawyers will surely argue that this is nearly impossible in the region where the majority of their heinous crimes took place. But moving the trial to Alabama, where the two suspects may have shot and killed a store clerk, solely because the state has frequently imposed the death penalty and allows the execution of juveniles, is at the best a diversion, at worst a twisting of justice.
Most of the snipers’ crimes occured in Montgomery County, where they were arrested. Even if it irks Ashcroft that Malvo, as a minor, cannot be condemned to death under Maryland laws, the Justice Department should be focused on securing a conviction where the most evidence lies, not in providing the Attorney General’s pet punishment.
Although all the states may ultimately get their shot at convicting (and executing) the two suspects, determining who gets to go first should follow some reasonable logic?the order in which the crimes were committed or where the evidence is most damning?instead of going as a prize to the state that executes the most minors.
Ashcroft should let Muhammed and Malvo’s crimes speak for themselves and look for a conviction, instead of skipping the important step of a fair trial to look for a punishment. This sort of jockeying is to be expected from prosecuters, but we expect more dignity from the Department of Justice.
