DC Sniper Case Dismissed By Supreme Court After Change In Virginia Parole Law
The Supreme Court has dismissed the case of one of the D.C. Snipers, who terrorized the area over 15 years ago. According to reports, Virginia’s new changed law made this possible — regarding life-without-parole sentences for juvenile offenders.
Because of Virginia’s new law, young shooter Lee Boyd Malvo should be elgible for parole in 2022.
The move came after Malvo’s lawyers and the state of Virginia notified the court that they agreed to dismiss the case in light of legislation signed by Virginia Governor Ralph Northam on Monday.
Nearly a decade after Malvo received his life sentence, the Supreme Court ruled that mandatory life-without-parole sentences for juvenile offenders were unconstitutional. Malvo was 17 when he and Muhammad went on their fatal shooting rampage.
A federal appeals court ruled in 2018 that while Malvo’s life-without-parole sentences were legal when they were handed down, he should receive a new sentencing hearing in light of the Supreme Court’s 2012 decision.
Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring appealed to the Supreme Court, and the high court agreed to hear the case last year. The justices heard oral arguments in October. Danielle Spinelli, Malvo’s lawyer, said that even if he were eligible for parole, it would not mean he would automatically be released.
“It would mean that he would have the opportunity some time in the future to make the case to the parole board that he has changed,” she said. “So we are nowhere near any prospect of being released.”
While the new Virginia law ends Malvo’s Supreme Court case, it’s unlikely he’ll be released from prison anytime soon. In addition to his four life sentences in Virginia, Malvo also received six life sentences without the possibility of parole for killings in Maryland.
