Seventeen-year-old Lee Boyd Malvo and 41-year-old John Allen Muhammad, who were dubbed the Beltway Snipers, were arrested in the early morning hours of October 24, 2002. As reported by i News, both of the suspects were found sleeping in Malvo’s parked vehicle.
According to the FBI, the vehicle was akin to a “rolling sniper’s nest.” In addition to the Bushmaster .223-caliber rifle, which was used in several of the shootings, authorities found a scope and a tripod for the weapon. The vehicle had also been modified to allow someone to enter the vehicle’s trunk from the passenger compartment. Authorities also found specific evidence linking Malvo and Muhammad to the shootings, including impressions of one of the letters left for law enforcement officials and a laptop stolen from one of the victims. The FBI also found maps with planned getaway routes on the laptop, and they corresponded to several of the shootings.
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As the crimes were committed in multiple states, Biography reports that there were several associated trials. However, Muhammad was ultimately convicted of multiple counts of murder and sentenced to death. He died by lethal injection on November 10, 2009. As reported by WUSA9, Malvo was also convicted of murder and was ultimately sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The brutal and unusual nature of the shootings drew international attention. However, the dynamic of the relationship between 41-year-old Muhammad and 17-year-old Malvo was also a point of interest and eventual controversy.
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