No Cameras at Trial of Teen Sniper Suspect
Cameras will not be permitted in the courtroom for the case of 17-year-old sniper suspect Lee Boyd Malvo, a judge decided.
Virginia law allows cameras in the courtroom at the discretion of the judge. Circuit Judge Jane Roush decided Monday that she will not permit them.
Malvo will be in Roush’s courtroom today to set a date for his murder trial.
The Radio-Television News Directors Assn. said it may file a request with the judge to permit camera coverage.
“The entire Washington area was victimized during that three-week period, and there is a high level of interest,” said association President Barbara Cochran. “The most accurate way for people to see these proceedings ... is through cameras in the courtroom.”
Malvo’s alleged accomplice, John Allen Muhammad, is scheduled to go on trial in Prince William County in October. The judge there has ruled against allowing TV cameras, but he is permitting a still camera. The RTNDA filed a brief in that case, but its argument for TV cameras was unsuccessful.
The two have been accused of shooting 19 people, killing 13 and wounding six in five states and Washington.
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