Sniper mastermind John Allen Muhammad lost a bid Thursday to bar a prosecutor from putting him on trial for a second attack in the sniper spree.
Muhammad's attorneys argued that Robert F. Horan Jr. should be removed from the case because of arguments he made while trying Muhammad's accomplice, Lee Boyd Malvo. Muhammad's lawyers said that during the Malvo trial, Horan made such a strong case that Malvo acted independently in the shootings that they actually want Horan as a defense witness.
The lawyers said calling Horan as a witness creates an inevitable conflict that required his removal from the case. But Circuit Judge Jonathan Thacher rejected the defense request.
Posted by Webmaster at July 30, 2004 12:30 AM