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FreeRepublic , LLC PO BOX 9771 FRESNO, CA 93794
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Posted on 01/17/2003 10:29:08 AM PST by NorCoGOP
STILLWATER, Okla. -- Anybody remember the name John Lee Malvo? He was the so-called "kid" who aided John Allen Mohammed in the cold-blooded sniper shootings that took place in the late fall of last year. After covering five states around the Washington D.C. area, the killing spree finally came to an end on Oct. 24 when a truck driver recognized the suspects' vehicle at a Maryland rest stop. Final count: 13 dead with another 5 critically injured.
The cops sure didn't see this one coming. Expecting to find a white male in his 20s or 30s, authorities found John Lee Malvo, a quiet,17-year-old boy from Jamaica, as their suspect instead. At a time when most kids his age are musing over the thought of no longer needing to sneak into R-rated movies, John Lee Malvo was waiting to see if he would be put on death row. This, however, poses an interesting problem. Prosecutors in Virginia sought the death penalty. This would require that Malvo be tried as an adult, even though he is technically still a juvenile. Hearings determined the answer to this problem yesterday, in favor of trying him as an adult.
When it's all said and done, the judge determined that prosecutors have demonstrated probable cause; John Lee Malvo became an adult in the eyes of the court.
How can it possibly be argued that Malvo was acting like a child when he picked up the rifle and started firing? It's not like he accidentally shot his friend with his dad's revolver. You don't accidentally pick up a sniper rifle and unintentionally shoot someone in the face from hundreds of yards away, much less do it four times. These are calculated, methodical efforts we're talking about, efforts that children or juveniles simply do not possess the proper faculties to carry out.
Some have the audacity to declare that no matter what has happened, Malvo is still only 17 years old and does not meet the court-outlined specifications of an adult. I answer this the same way. John Lee Malvo made a decision to maliciously take the lives of multiple fellow Americans, a decision which is not made lightly or swiftly. The fact that he used a sniper rifle is reason enough for me. We're talking about a highly- sophisticated firearm that requires knowledge of how to fire the weapon accurately.
Still don't feel like I've made my case? Did you know that Malvo was the one calling the police? John Lee Malvo made contact with the police on four separate occasions, twice by notes and twice by phone. That doesn't seem smart to me, calling the people who are looking for you. He did this because he was trying to extort more than $10 million from the police in exchange for stopping the string of attacks. A juvenile would never conceive something this elaborate. Malvo will almost certainly be found guilty at whichever level he can be tried, what with his fingerprints positively identified on the rifle as well on a raisin package found near the area where the famous note was left. Wow, talk about a bad idea. The note, that stated, "Your children are not safe anywhere at anytime," landed Malvo an automatic capital murder charge in Virginia, for intimidating the public.
Virginia's not done there. He will be charged for murder again under the state statute prosecuting anyone who commits more than one murder in a three-year period.
If John Lee Malvo wants to act like an adult, he has to face the realities of an adult world.
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FreeRepublic , LLC PO BOX 9771 FRESNO, CA 93794
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