If it doesn't happen in D.C., or maybe NY, it's not much news. If the snipers did their thing in Seattle, the national press wouldn't have their commute times disrupted, so it would be less covered.
Plus it has to do with lawyers, maybe. This guy, like the Smiley Face bomber doesn't have a lawyer mouthing off in the press. Johnny Taliban's did, seemingly planned. Unlike the smiley face bombers parents, Johnny's don't realize their kid is crazy.