He was convicted and incarcerated when he was a teenager.
WASHINGTON (AP) – Liberal and conservative justices seemed split on whether to grant a new sentencing hearing to Lee Boyd Malvo, who as a teenager was one of two snipers who terrorized the Washington area, killing 10 people.
The Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday on whether Malvo was wrongly sentenced in Virginia to life without parole.
Malvo was 17 at the time of the killings. His attorneys say he deserves a new hearing because of recent Supreme Court rulings barring mandatory life sentences for juveniles.
Virginia argues Malvo’s life sentence was not mandatory because the judge theoretically had discretion to suspend part of Malvo’s sentence after a jury recommended life without parole.
He is also serving six life-without-parole terms in Maryland.
Malvo and John Allen Mohammed were apprehended in Frederick County in 2002.
By The Associated Press