Lee Boyd Malvo, currently 38, commonly recognized as the DC sniper, was convicted at the age of 17 for the murder of 10 individuals and the injury of three others over a three-week period in the Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia areas.
At present, he has approached the Supreme Court seeking to appeal his convictions. In accordance with Virginia State Law, as of May 2010, the Supreme Court has affirmed that the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment necessitates that juvenile offenders who have not been found guilty of murder should not receive life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
Malvo is currently incarcerated in Red Onion State Prison in Southwestern Virginia, serving multiple life sentences without the possibility of parole for his involvement in these heinous crimes. He has petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court for “an opportunity to reclaim his life.”
Malvo contends that he should be granted another chance to demonstrate that his youthful age played a significant role in his decision-making, as he was only 17 years old when he and John Mohammad engaged in the spree of shootings throughout the capital region.
In a 2012 interview with the Washington Post, Malvo admitted, “I was a monster,” as he reflected on his actions from his prison confinement. He acknowledged his behavior aligning with the definition of a monster, describing himself as a ghoul and a thief who callously took people’s lives without reason or sense.
Despite the Maryland Court of Appeals conforming to the Supreme Court’s guidelines, the Circuit Court is obligated to conduct a resentencing for Malvo. The complexity of this situation arises from the necessity for consent from both the Maryland and Virginia authorities, given that the crimes transpired in both states.
The grieving families of those who lost their loved ones in these horrific and dreadful killings have expressed their reluctance to endure another in-person sentencing and encounter the perpetrator. Malvo’s upcoming hearing is slated for Dec.1, but there is no urgency in the resentencing process, as he is already serving a life sentence in Virginia.