In October of 2002, the Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia (also known as the DMV) areas were living in terror because of the notorious sniper killing innocent people in broad daylight. Just a year after the 9/11 attacks, many suspected these were acts committed by Al Qaeda. But it was actual veteran John Allen Muhammad and 17-year-old Lee Boyd Malvo. They were the two behind these horrendous acts. 10 people were killed and 3 seriously injured. The pair had also killed several others in different parts of the country before going on this killing spree.
Their victims were innocent people filling their gas tanks, mowing the lawn, or walking into a grocery store. Muhammad drove the infamous blue Chevy Caprice with a hole in the trunk while Malvo used a rifle to shoot their victims through the hole. The entire DMV was terrified for their lives. Similar to the COVID-19 pandemic, people were afraid to leave their homes.
What would make someone do such an evil thing? Muhammad planned to terrorize the area because he had recently lost custody of his children to his ex-wife. She was one of his targets, and he believed the police would not look at him as a suspect if several other random lives were also taken. He brainwashed young Malvo to partner with him in hopes of getting his children back.
The terror continued for 3 weeks until the two were caught in Maryland asleep in the caprice at a rest stop. At just 17 years old, Malvo was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Muhammad was sentenced to the death penalty. He was executed in Virginia in 2009.
Now, twenty years later, people mourn the lives that were innocently taken. Law enforcement in the area is still applauded for solving this case and getting justice.
https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/beltway-snipers
https://thecrimewire.com/true-crime/10-Facts-You-Probably-Didnt-Know-About-the-DC-Sniper-Attacks
https://northernvirginiamag.com/culture/news/2022/09/28/dc-sniper-20-year-anniversary/
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