Trials Reveal the Full Extent of the Terror
Trials for the two killers began in the fall of 2003. The pair were quickly found guilty of both murder and illegal weapons charges in Virginia, and new charges were pending in several other states at the same time. Once prosecutors had a chance to reveal the full scope of the terror plot, they were horrified to learn just how much planning had gone into the attacks.
Sniper suspect Lee Malvo (c) leaves a pre-trial hearing at the Fairfax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court 04 December 2002 in Fairfax, Virginia. Malvo is a suspect in a sniper style killing spree. AFP Photo/Luke FRAZZA (Photo credit LUKE FRAZZA/AFP/Getty Images)
Based on firsthand accounts from Malvo, it was revealed that the two had planned to kill many more than they ultimately were able to, including murdering a pregnant woman by shooting her in the stomach and murdering a police officer with the intention to set off improvised explosives at his funeral. This would culminate in the two retreating north to Canada, stopping at YMCA’s and shelters along the way to attempt to recruit impressionable young men to their cause.
The ultimate goal was to train these individuals than to be agents of terror, spreading throughout cities in the US and carrying out more shootings, with the aim of sending the country spiraling into chaos. Eventually, in September of 2003, Mohammad was sentenced to death by lethal injection, which was carried out despite attempts by his legal team to stay the order at the federal level on November 10th, 2009. Malvo received six consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, though a federal district judge later overturned this. The status of the trial has been contested since this time, with judges as recently as 2018 stating that they wish to have the case reviewed by the supreme court.