Muhammad questions Malvo about sanity in tense courtroom exchange

ROCKVILLE, Md. — In an often testy four-hour cross-examination, John Allen Muhammad questioned the mental health and memory of his one-time sniper protege Lee Boyd Malvo and repeatedly referred to him as "son."

"I would prefer you address me by my name," Malvo shot back at one point, drawing an apology from the defendant.

But when Muhammad discussed what had been a father-son-like bond between the two, Malvo's soft voice grew quieter and he hunched down in the witness chair.

Muhammad, defending himself against murder charges in six Maryland killings, tried to counter Malvo's damaging testimony Tuesday that he sought to spread terror in the Washington region in October 2002. Muhammad often demanded yes-or-no answers and complained when Malvo gave longer replies.

Muhammad, already sentenced to death in a Virginia murder, pointed to Malvo's first sniper trial in Virginia where Malvo pleaded guilty by reason of insanity and was sentenced to life in prison.

"Who decided you was insane? ... How many doctors said you was insane?" Muhammad asked.

"They said I was indoctrinated," Malvo responded, referring to his Virginia attorney's claims that Muhammad brainwashed him and turned him into a killer.

Muhammad didn't challenge some of the wild schemes Malvo described Tuesday. Malvo testified that Muhammad wanted to shoot six people per day for a month, then use explosives to kill children in schools, on school buses and in children's hospitals.

Muhammad planned to terrorize the region with shootings and explosives, with children the principal targets "for the sheer terror of it," Malvo said, relating the older man's words. The two hoped to extort $10 million from authorities in return for an end to the killings. The money would be used to train 140 homeless children to terrorize other cities.

Instead of pressing Malvo on those accounts, Muhammad grilled him about minor details of some crime scenes, trying to show Malvo's memory was flawed. He suggested Malvo had a problem with exaggeration. He repeatedly asked Malvo about guns and how they work, trying to counter Malvo's claim that Muhammad taught him how to fire the high-powered Bushmaster rifle used in the killings.

Muhammad, 45, began his defense late Wednesday afternoon after prosecutors rested their case following nearly three weeks of testimony. His first witness was a woman who was in the parking lot of a shopping center where James Martin was shot Oct. 2, 2002, in Wheaton.