Convicted Snipers Face Off In Court
John Allen Muhammad questioned his former sniper protégé Lee Boyd Malvo aggressively about his mental health during cross-examination Wednesday.
Muhammad's questions came a day after Malvo's testimony provided an insider's account of the October 2002 sniper shootings that left 10 people dead.
"Who decided you was insane? ... How many doctors said you was insane?" Muhammad asked Malvo, referring to his 2003 insanity plea in Virginia for one of the sniper killings.
"They said I was indoctrinated," Malvo responded.
Muhammad, 45, and Malvo, 21, already have been convicted in Virginia for a sniper murder there. Muhammad received a death sentence, while Malvo was given a life term.
Prosecutors in Maryland have said they are pursuing a second trial in case the Virginia conviction is overturned on appeal and to seek justice in Montgomery County, where six of the 10 killings happened.
On Wednesday, Muhammad, who is representing himself, continued his questioning of Malvo, concentrating on weapon and shooting technicalities, frequently with a bullying or hectoring tone, reports CBS New correspondent Beverley Lumpkin.
During re-direct, prosecutor Katherine Winfree asked Malvo such blunt questions as "Who taught you to plan ways out of a shooting scene?" and "Who taught you to scope out areas in advance?" The answer to each was Mr. Muhammad, reports Lumpkin.
Perhaps the most devastating question asked by Winfree was: "What was the difference in how Mr. Muhammad treated you and his children?"
Malvo's answer: "Mr. Muhammad did not use any of his children to murder other people."
On Tuesday, Malvo called Muhammad a coward who "made me a monster."
Shortly after Malvo repudiated his former mentor, Muhammad began cross-examining Malvo, whom he says he still considers as a son.
"The state has informed me I'm not to address you as 'son' or 'Lee,"' Muhammad said at the outset of his cross-examination Tuesday.
He then proceeded to inform Malvo that he had told jurors at the trial's opening that "John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo are innocent, and I'm going to prove it."
Malvo remained unmoved by Muhammad's statement. When Muhammad asked Malvo if he believed Muhammad would indeed exonerate the pair, Malvo responded that he did not.
Later, Malvo became agitated as Muhammad pressed him on a variety of details, as Muhammad has done to others throughout the trial. Asked repeatedly by Muhammad how often their Bushmaster rifle was stored in a duffel bag, Malvo finally blurted out: "The weapon's been in the bag plenty of times, Muhammad."
Muhammad questioned Malvo about inconsistent statements he has given about the shootings. Shortly after the two were arrested, Malvo took responsibility for all 13 sniper shootings.
Earlier, Malvo testified that Muhammad's plan was to shoot six people a day for a month. Then, he said, they would target school busses and hospitals with explosives, CBS News correspondent Jim Stewart reports for The Early Show.
On the witness stand Tuesday, Malvo said Muhammad fired 10 shots and Malvo three. Muhammad then quizzed Malvo on whether he had been improperly convicted in 2003 for one of the killings in which Malvo now says Muhammad pulled the trigger.
Hear details and watch reaction to Malvo's testimony."No, I'm not innocent. I took part in that shooting. I'm an accomplice," he said.
Malvo's daylong testimony included a number of startling admissions.
He said Muhammad told him "we're going to go to the Washington, D.C., area and we're going to terrorize these people." Malvo said Washington was chosen because that was where Muhammad's ex-wife had taken the couple's children. The plan ultimately called for taking the children to Canada.
Malvo testified he became so upset on hearing Muhammad's plans that he played Russian roulette while sobbing in a bathtub, pulling the trigger several times before breaking down.
Malvo said Muhammad altered the plans midway through the sniper spree after he and Malvo nearly had a falling out.
The level of planning left friends and family of victims shaking their heads, Stewart reports.
"This is more of a shock than anything else because it was so calculated," Mary Branc said. "It tells you a lot about what happened. We didn't know exactly how detailed they were."
Muhammad told Malvo they would obtain a $10 million payment in exchange for stopping the killings, and then recruit 140 homeless children to a compound in Canada where they would train to "continue the mission" — namely, a prolonged terror campaign against America, Malvo said.
Malvo said he "just latched onto that" and believed it because Muhammad had always been truthful with him.
At the end of several hours of questioning, prosecutor Katherine Winfree asked Malvo what he now thinks of Muhammad. "I think he is a coward," Malvo said.
Malvo then glared at Muhammad and said, "You took me into your house and you made me a monster."