CONVICTED murderer John Allen Muhammad carried out a series of coordinated shootings in and around Washington DC in 2002.
Muhammad was arrested in October 2002 and, despite pleas for clemency, executed seven years later in November 2009.
Who was John Allen Muhammad?
John Allen Muhammad was born John Allen Williams in Kingston, Jamaica in 1960.
However, his family relocated to New Orleans, USA when John was just three after his mother was diagnosed with cancer.
He joined the army aged just 18 in 1978, and would remain in military service until he was honorably discharged in 1994.
In 1987, during his time in the army, John would become a member of The Nation of Islam and would later change his surname to Muhammad.
After leaving the military, Muhammad met a woman named Una Sceon James and her son, Lee Boyd Malvo whilst he was living on the Caribbean island of Antigua in 1999.
Malvo and Muhammad grew close and, when Una left for Florida without her son, moved to Bellingham, Washington, together.
The two traveled to the US with Muhammad's three children, who Muhammad had apparently taken to Antigua without the permission of their mother, his ex-wife Mildred.
After the five arrived in the US, Muhammad's three children were returned to their mother's custody by law enforcement.
Malvo, meanwhile, briefly reunited with his own mother, Una, in Florida before they were both arrested by border control.
After being released on bond, Malvo would reunite with Muhammad.
Not long later, the two would embark on a series of robberies and shootings across several states, beginning in February 2002 and ending when the pair were arrested in the early hours of October 24, 2002.
Who were John Allen Muhammad's victims?
The first murder Muhammad was linked to was that of Keenya Nicole Cook, a 21-year-old who was close friends with his ex-wife Mildred, in February 2002.
He was then linked to – but not convicted of – an additional sixteen murders.
The final ten shootings would become known as the DC Sniper attacks, and all took place in and around the city of Washington DC.
The first victim of the DC Sniper attacks was James Martin, a 55-year-old who was shot and killed on October 2 in a grocery store parking lot.
The attacks continued until October 22, when bus driver Conrad Johnson was shotat just before 6am.
Conrad Johnson would later die from his injuries.
John Allen Muhammad was eventually convicted of eight counts of murder.
He was convicted on two counts of capital murder in 2003 in Virginia, and an additional six three years later in 2006 in Maryland.
Despite Muhammad's possible involvement in additional murders committed in Alabama, Arizona, Louisiana and Washington State, these states did not pursue charges against him.
In October 2003, Muhammad's associate Lee Boyd Malvo, who was just 17 at the time, was sentenced to six life sentences without the possibility of parole.
When was John Allen Muhammad executed?
John Allen Muhammad was executed on November 10, 2009 at just after 9pm in Jarratt, Virginia.
The state of Virginia does allow inmates to select their method of execution but, as Muhammad refused to make a choice, the state defaulted to the use of lethal injection.
Muhammad made no final statement before his death, which was reportedly witnessed by 27 people.
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