Lee Boyd Malvo (also known as John Lee Malvo) (born February 18, 1985), is a spree killer^[1] convicted, along with John Allen Muhammad, of murders in connection with the Beltway sniper attacks, which took place in the Washington Metropolitan Area over a three-week period in October 2002. According to his own confession they had planned to kill six people a day for a month in order "to terrorize the nation."^[2] The beltway attacks turned out to be only the latest of a series of shootings across the United States connected to these individuals which began on the West Coast. Muhammad had befriended the juvenile Malvo, and had enlisted him in the murderous rampage. According to Craig Cooley, one of Malvo's defense attorneys, Malvo believed Muhammad when he told him that the $10 million ransom sought from the US government to stop the sniper killings would be used to establish a Utopian society for 140 black homeless children on a Canadian compound.^[3]

Joining John Allen Muhammad[link]

Lee Boyd Malvo and his mother, Una Sceon James, first met John Allen Muhammad in Antigua and Barbuda around 1999, where Una and Muhammad developed a strong friendship. Later, Una left Antigua for Fort Myers, Florida, using false documents. She left her son with Muhammad, reportedly planning to have him follow her later. He did join his mother for a short time in 2001. Lee Malvo arrived as an illegal alien in Miami in 2001.^[4] He and his mother were apprehended by the Border Patrol in Bellingham, Washington, in December 2001. In January 2002, Malvo was released on a $1,500 bond.^[4] Malvo caught up with Muhammad soon after. In 2002, Malvo traveled to Bellingham, Washington, where he lived in a homeless shelter with Muhammad and enrolled in high school with Muhammad falsely listed as his father, but he did not make any friends according to his classmates.^[5] While in the Tacoma, Washington area, according to his statements to investigators, Malvo shoplifted the Bushmaster XM-15 from Bull's Eye Shooter Supply, a dealer for Bushmaster Firearms, Inc., a manufacturer and distributor based in Windham, Maine. About the same time, Muhammad practiced his marksmanship on the Bull's Eye firing range adjacent to the gun shop. Under federal laws, neither was legally allowed to purchase or possess guns, with both classified as prohibited persons under the Gun Control Act of 1968.^[6]

Sniper attack victims[link]

This biographical section of an article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (March 2012)

Listed in chronological order, these are the names of the victims who were murdered or wounded in the Beltway sniper attacks.

These victims have also been linked to Muhammad and Malvo:

• Keenya Cook
• Jerry Ray Taylor
• Paul La Ruffa
• Rupinder Oberoi
• Muhammad Rashid
• Million Woldemariam
• Claudine Lee Parker
• Kellie Adams
• Hong Im Ballenger
• Wright Williams, Jr.
• Billy Gene Dillon
• John Gaeta

Criminal prosecutions[link]

Malvo was initially arrested under federal charges, but they were dropped. He was transferred to Virginia custody and sent to jail in Fairfax County. He was charged by the Commonwealth of Virginia for two capital crimes: the murder of FBI analyst Linda Franklin "in the commission of an act of terrorism" (an addendum to Virginia law that was added after the September 11, 2001, attacks), and the murder of more than one person in a three-year period. He was also charged with the unlawful use of a firearm in the murder of Franklin. Initially, a Fairfax attorney, Michael Arif, was appointed to represent him, along with Thomas B. Walsh and Mark J. Petrovich. Later, prominent Richmond attorney Craig Cooley was appointed to the team and assumed a leadership role.^[7] While in jail, he made a recorded confession to Detective Samuel Walker in which he stated that he "intended to kill them all".^[8]

Under a change of venue, the trial was moved over 150 miles away to the city of Chesapeake in southeastern Virginia. He pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to all charges on the grounds that he was under Muhammad's complete control. One of Malvo's psychiatric witnesses testified that Muhammad, a member of Nation of Islam, had indoctrinated him into believing that the proceeds of the extortion attempt would be used to begin a new nation of only pure black young persons somewhere in Canada.^{[citation needed]}

During the trial, Malvo's defense attorney Craig S. Cooley said that violent video games had contributed significantly to Malvo's mind state and willingness to commit murder. Cooley said: "He's trained and desensitized with video games, computer games, to train him to shoot human forms over and over."^[9] Sociologists Lawrence Kutner and Cheryl K. Olson, however, argue in their book Grand Theft Childhood that other factors were much more significant. "In court, Lee Malvo admitted that he trained by shooting a real gun at paper plates that represented human heads. Also, Malvo had a long history of antisocial and criminal behavior, including torturing small animals – one of the best predictors of future violent criminal behavior."^[10]

On December 18, 2003, after nearly 14 hours of deliberation, the jury convicted him of both charges. On December 23, a jury recommended a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of Franklin. On March 10, 2004, a judge formally sentenced him to life in prison without parole.

On October 26, 2004, under a plea bargain to avoid a possible death penalty, Malvo entered an Alford plea to the charges of murdering Kenneth Bridges and attempting to murder Caroline Seawell while Malvo was in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. He also pled guilty to two firearms charges and agreed not to appeal his conviction for the murder of Franklin. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole for murder, plus eight years imprisonment for the weapons charges.

One Virginia prosecutor in Prince William County had stated he would wait to decide whether to try him on additional capital charges in his jurisdiction until the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on whether juveniles may be subject to the penalty of execution. However, in light of the March 1, 2005 Supreme Court decision in Roper v. Simmons that the Eighth Amendment prohibits execution for crimes committed when under the age of 18, the prosecutors in Prince William County decided not to pursue the charges against Malvo. However, prosecutors in Maryland, Louisiana and Alabama were still interested in putting both Malvo and Muhammad on trial.^{[citation needed]}

As Malvo was 17 when he committed the crimes, he cannot face the death penalty, but still may be extradited to Alabama, Louisiana, and other states for prosecution. At the outset of the Beltway sniper prosecutions, the primary reason for extraditing the two suspects from Maryland, where they were arrested, to Virginia, was the differences in how the two states deal with the death penalty. While the death penalty is allowed in Maryland, it is only applied to persons who were adults at the time of their crimes, whereas Virginia had also allowed the death penalty for offenders who had been juveniles when their crimes were committed.^{[citation needed]} In May 2005, Virginia and Maryland reached an agreement to allow Maryland to begin prosecuting some of the pending charges there, and Malvo was extradited to Montgomery County, Maryland under heavy security.

On June 16, 2006, Malvo told authorities that he and Muhammad were guilty of four additional shootings. The four most recently linked victims were also shot in 2002: a man killed in Los Angeles during a robbery in February or March; a 76-year-old man who survived a shooting on May 18 at a golf course in Clearwater, Florida; a man shot to death while doing yard work in Denton, Texas, May 27; and 54-year-old John Gaeta^[11] who survived being shot on August 1 during a robbery outside a shopping mall near Baton Rouge, Louisiana.^[12]

On October 10, 2006, Malvo pleaded guilty to the six murders he was charged with in Maryland. On November 8, he was sentenced to six consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. On October 27, 2006, Malvo told police that he and Muhammad were responsible for the killing of a 60-year-old man on a golf course in Tucson, Arizona. He claimed that they shot Jerry Taylor while he was practicing chip shots on a local golf course. Tucson police had reportedly sought to speak with Malvo about the March 19, 2002 death of Taylor, who died from a single long range gunshot.^{[citation needed]}

Civil lawsuit[link]

In 2003, Malvo and Muhammad were named in a major civil lawsuit by the Legal Action Project of the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence on behalf of some two of their victims who were seriously wounded and the families of some of those murdered. Co-defendants Bull's Eye Shooter Supply and Bushmaster Firearms contributed to a landmark $2.5 million out-of-court settlement in late 2004.

The "real plan," as told by Lee Boyd Malvo[link]

In Muhammad's May 2006 trial in Montgomery County, Maryland, Malvo took the stand and confessed to a more detailed version of the pair's plans. Malvo, after extensive counseling, admitted that he had been lying in the statement he made after his arrest when he had admitted to being the triggerman for every shooting. Malvo claimed that he had said this in order to protect Muhammad from the death penalty, because it was more difficult to achieve the death penalty for a minor. Malvo stated, "I'm not proud of myself. I'm just trying to make amends", expressing his regret in the shootings.^[13] In his two days of testimony, Malvo outlined detailed aspects of all the shootings.

Part of his testimony concerned Muhammad's complete, multiphase plan. His plan consisted of three phases in the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore metro areas. Phase One consisted of meticulously planning, mapping, and practicing their locations around the DC area. This way after each shooting they would be able to quickly leave the area on a predetermined path, and move on to the next location. Muhammad's goal in Phase One was to kill six white people a day for 30 days. Malvo went on to describe how Phase One did not go as planned due to heavy traffic and the lack of a clear shot and/or getaway at different locations.^{[citation needed]}

Phase Two was meant to be moved up to Baltimore. Malvo described how this phase was close to being implemented, but never was carried out. Phase Two was intended to begin by killing a pregnant woman by shooting her in the stomach. The next step would have been to shoot and kill a Baltimore police officer. At the officer's funeral, they would plant several improvised explosive devices. These explosives were intended to kill a large number of police, since many police would attend another officer's funeral. More bombs were then to be detonated as ambulances arrived at the scene.^[14]

The last phase was to take place very shortly after, if not during, Phase Two. The third phase was to extort several million dollars from the U.S. government. This money would be used to finance a larger plan: to travel north into Canada and recruit other effectively orphaned boys to use weapons and stealth, and send them out to commit shootings across the country.^{[15][16][17][18]}

Post-sentencing[link]

As of 2011 Lee Boyd Malvo, Virginia Department of Corrections # 1180834, Inmate # 330873, is incarcerated at the Red Onion State Prison.^[19]

• On October 2, 2007, Malvo called a daughter of one of the victims, Cheryll Witz, to apologize for his role.^[20]

• Malvo reportedly sent a letter, dated February 21, 2010, to apologize to John C. Gaeta for shooting him. Malvo wrote: "I am truly sorry for the pain I caused you and your loved ones. I was relieved to hear that you suffered no paralyzing injuries and that you are alive."^[21]

• A Wise County, Virginia Circuit Judge denied Malvo's request to change his name on July 29, 2011. Malvo petitioned the court for the name change on the basis that it would be safer if his fellow inmates did not know his real name, due to his notoriety.^[22]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Complete Court TV coverage of the Lee Boyd Malvo trial

Bibliography[link]

• Profile: Lee Boyd Malvo, BBC News
• Malvo Found Guilty in Washington Sniper Case, Reuters (via Yahoo! News)
• Article about Malvo's indoctrination

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2007)

10 Years is an American alternative metal band, formed in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1999.

History[link]

[edit] Early Years, Into the Half Moon (1999–2001)

10 Years was initially formed in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1999 with singer Mike Underdown, drummer Brian Vodinh, bassist Lewis Cosby, and guitarists Ryan "Tater" Johnson (also of The American Plague) and Matt Wantland. In 2001, Cosby left and the band recruited Andy Parks on bass. They independently recorded Into the Half Moon the same year.

[edit] Killing All That Holds You, The Autumn Effect (2002–2006)

Lead vocalist Mike Underdown left the band to pursue a career in acting and start up a new band 'Courage, You Bastards' in Los Angeles, Ca. 10 Years soon recruited current vocalist Jesse Hasek from another local band. In 2002, Parks decided to leave the band and Cosby returned. The band then released their independent album Killing All That Holds You in 2004.

10 Years was then signed to Universal Records in 2005 and released their major label debut, The Autumn Effect on August 16, 2005 with the songs "Wasteland" and "Through the Iris" picking up regional radio play. Their first single, "Wasteland" spent over 12 months on the rock charts, finally reaching #1 at active rock radio in December 2005.

That same summer, the band toured with Disturbed and Ill Niño. In the fall of 2005, they toured with Breaking Benjamin and Smile Empty Soul, then followed up with the Masters of Horror tour with Mudvayne and Sevendust. They opened for Korn and Mudvayne on Korn's See You on the Other Side tour. They also toured with Korn and Deftones on the Family Values Tour, which started in late July 2006.

In mid February 2006, "Wasteland" reached #1 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart. "Wasteland" has been certified Gold by the RIAA.

In mid-2006, the band toured Australia in a lineup which included Hatebreed, Disturbed and Korn.

Their first music video, "Wasteland", addresses the social problem of human rights as well as addiction around the world. The video received a nomination for Best Direction and Best Art Direction at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards, but did not win either.

On March 27, 2006, an EP was released on iTunes containing acoustic versions of "Wasteland" and other tracks from The Autumn Effect.

[edit] Division (2006–2008)

On November 19, 2006, 10 Years unveiled and confirmed the title Division for their second album.^[1] The band would begin recording Division in late June 2007 after spending the better part of a year writing.

Lewis told in an interview that the album is "so different from the first one [The Autumn Effect], but it's still 10 Years," and, "It just sounds like [the songs] would be from a totally different album, which was, you know, the goal."^[2] It was also revealed that the track titled "Focus" was co-written with Stone Temple Pilots and former Army of Anyone guitarist Dean DeLeo.^[1]

On May 21, 2007 a demo song titled "All Your Lies" from Division was released onto their MySpace along with a post stating the band had chosen producer Rick Parasher to produce the new album.^[3] On September 7, the band announced on their MySpace that the album was finished and would be released in 2008, following a tour with Dir En Grey, Sevendust, Operator, Thousand Foot Krutch and Chevelle.

On January 29, 2008, "Beautiful," the new single from Division, was released to iTunes and a snippet was also posted on the band's MySpace page. Division was released on May 13, 2008 after being pushed back due to finalization of the album's artwork.^[4]

10 Years was featured on the Revolution Stage of Linkin Park's Summer Projekt Revolution 2008 tour with Atreyu, Hawthorne Heights and Armor For Sleep.

They went on tour with Mudvayne until mid December 2008.

[edit] Feeding the Wolves (2009–2011)

10 Years announced that their upcoming third major label album would be entitled Feeding the Wolves. The album was produced by Grammy-nominated producer Howard Benson and mixed by Chris "Lord" Alge. The band has mentioned the album is of their heaviest material to date and "very similar to some of their early songs."

Throughout the first half of 2010, the band went back and forth between putting on live shows and working in the studio. Before the album was released, the band debuted new songs at live performances such as "Dead in the Water", "Now is the Time", and the new album's first single ""Shoot It Out" ". ^[5][6]

On June 12, 2010, ""Shoot It Out" " was featured on Sirius/XM Radio. The track was released to radio later that month,^[7] and was made available for download on iTunes July 6.^[8] Feeding the Wolves was released on August 31, 2010.

To promote the album's release, the band opened Shinedown's 2010 Carnival of Madness summer tour alongside Chevelle, Puddle of Mudd, and Sevendust.^[9] In the fall they joined Sevendust again on the Hard Drive Live tour with support from Since October and Anew Revolution.

In December, the band went on a mini-headline tour,^[10] where they played some older songs that they had not played in some time. February 2011, their new single "Fix Me" releases to radio while they headline a spring tour with Hollywood Undead.

On June 17 and 18 the band shot a music video for "Fix Me" in Columbus, Ohio with production company Thunder Down Country.^[11] The video was released via YouTube on August 9, 2011.^[12]

[edit] Minus The Machine Palehorse Records (2012-present)

On twitter the band has shown pictures of Brian Vodinh's home basement turned studio for future workings on their next album.

On April 2nd, 2012, the band announced on Facebook that their upcoming record, Minus The Machine, is to be released on July 30th on their own independent label, Palehorse Records, which the band stated is a part of Warner Music Group's Independent Label Group. They also announced a 4-week headlining tour to support the record, which begins on June 27th in New Orleans.

On May 11th, the band unveiled the cover art of the album and it was announced that the album's release has been pushed back to July 31st.^{[citation needed]} 10 Years will release their first single "Backlash" on radio and iTunes on June 21st.

Band members[link]

Current

• Jesse Hasek – Vocals (2002–present)
• Ryan "Tater" Johnson – Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals (1999–present)
• Lewis "Big Lew" Cosby – Bass (1999–2001, 2002-present)
• Brian Vodinh – Rhythm Guitar, Backing Vocals (2009–present) Drums (1999–present)

Live

• Matt Brown – Drums (2010-present)
• Sam Anderson – Drums (2010)
• Kyle Mayer – Drums (2010)
• Brandon Estelle - Drums (2010-2011) and select dates.

Former

• Mike Underdown – Vocals (1999–2001)
• Andy Parks - Bass (2001–2002)
• Matt Wantland – Guitar (1999–2009)

Timeline[link]

id:Vocals value:red legend:Vocals
id:Bass value:orange legend:Bass
id:Rhythm_Guitar value:blue legend:Rhythm_Guitar
id:Lead_guitar value:green legend:Lead_Guitar
id:drums value:yellow legend:Drums
id:lines value:black legend:Studio Albums

at:01/01/2001 color:black layer:back
at:27/08/2004 color:black layer:back
at:16/08/2005 color:black layer:back
at:01/05/2008 color:black layer:back
at:31/08/2010 color:black layer:back

bar:mike text:"Mike Underdown"
bar:jesse text:"Jesse Hasek"
bar:tater text:"Ryan Tater Johnson"
bar:wantland text:"Matt Wantland"
bar:andy text:"Andy Parks"
bar:lewis text:"Lewis Cosby"
bar:brian text:"Brian Vodinh"
bar:kyle text:"Kyle Mayer"
bar:sam text:"Sam Anderson"
bar:matt text:"Matt Brown"

width:10 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4)
bar:mike from:start till:01/01/2001 color:Vocals
bar:jesse from:02/01/2001 till:end color:Vocals
bar:tater from:start till:end color:Lead_Guitar
bar:wantland from:start till:03/05/2009 color:Rhythm_Guitar
bar:brian from:start till:31/08/2010 color:Drums
bar:brian from:05/05/2009 till:end color:Rhythm_Guitar
bar:lewis from:start till:01/01/2001 color:Bass
bar:lewis from:02/01/2002 till:end color:Bass
bar:andy from:02/01/2001 till:01/01/2002 color:Bass
bar:kyle from:06/06/2010 till:05/07/2010 color:Drums
bar:sam from:06/07/2010 till:31/07/2010 color:Drums
bar:matt from:01/08/2010 till:end color:Drums

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

Extended plays[link]

• 2006: Acoustic EP

Singles[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Site
• 10 Years on Myspace