[cpileri]

They're prosecuting John Allen Muhammad (Williams) under the new anti-terror statutes.

See here, page 3 of the pdf: http://news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/sniper/vamhmmd102802pwind.pdf

Now, dont get me wrong, I think the families of the victims should take turns flaying him, then heaving the bleeding bastard into Bikini Atoll for the sharks...

But this is wrong!

Soon any crime will be 'terrorism'.

Sigh.

C-

[agricola]

if they can show they did it for political / religious reasons then, yes, it is terrorism and they should be treated accordingly - ie: chair or lethal injection.

[DaveB]

I'm completely not a lawyer, but I don't find any federal law cited - this is entirely a Virginia state case, so it can't refer to the Patriot Act. True, terrorism is mentioned, but at a state level...

Are the Va. laws mentioned anti-terrorism?

db

[Zundfolge]

The problem I have with this is the same problem I have with "hate crime" laws.

The government should punish crimes, not thought.

Several years ago a friend and I where robbed by a black man ... as he left us with our money (and my watch) he said "Damn I hate white people."

So is he now a terrorist?

[Augustwest]

Murder is murder, whether it's motivated by ignorant hatred, terrorism or anything else.

Pretty sure that Timothy McVeigh wasn't charged with "terrorism," and he still got an arm full of poison.

[buzz_knox]

Yup, the terrorism charge is made under state law, not federal law (see the second page of the indictment).

I have mixed feelings about this. While hate crimes penalize people for their reasons for the crime, rather than the action itself, anti-terrorism statutes do a bit of both.

For what it's worth, many other statutes penalize the reason/intent for the crime, not just the action itself. The difference between murder (intentional slaying) and manslaugher (no premeditation) is very similar in concept.

[DigitalWarrior]

The difference is punishing intent, versus motive.

Defendent arguing intent:
I didn't mean to kill thos 15+ people over the course of a month using a car I modified for that specific purpose. (Obviously BS)

Defendent arguing motive:
I killed those 15+ people over the course of a month because I am a disturbed individual who enjoys killing people for laughs, not because I wanted to achieve a destabilization of government that would result in political or social change. (Jury not inside killers head)

[moa]

During the DC sniper spree 10 people were killed and three were wounded. However, it is believed the snipers killed or wounded a number of other people in other parts of the country. Prior to October they wounded an employee of a deli in what I think is Prince Georges County MD. In Alabama they shot and killed one woman and wounded another.

IIRC, they also shot another store owner who was able to return fire with his 9mm handgun and chase them off. I read this recently in the Washington Post.

Also, I think it was in PG County the shot and robbed a store owner and took his laptop and about $3000.00 in cash.

[Art Eatman]

Along similar lines, a DA in one of the Carolinas filed charges on a meth lab guy, for producing WMD. Meth, apparently, is the same sort of dangerous drug as anthrax.

This is no different than the misuse of the RICO act...

Art

[Standing Wolf]

I believe they should be hanged as common murderers. I'm sure they're Islamic terrorist savages who had terrorism in mind from start to finish, but I wouldn't grant them that much importance.

[Carlos]

Agreed, and the sooner the better, with the boy going last after watching his idol/mentor swing. :fire:

I'd pay to see the look of "terror" in his eyes before he leaves this planet.