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'A risk to the community' | Sniper Lee Boyd Malvo's parole request denied by Virginia Board

Malvo was 18 when he was convicted for his participation in the sniper spree that terrorized the D.C. area 20 years ago.

FAIRFAX, Va. — The Virginia Parole Board has denied Sniper Lee Boyd Malvo's parole request while he is serving four life sentences.

On Aug. 30, the board said that they couldn't grant the request, as they consider Malvo a risk to the greater community and that his release at this time would diminish the seriousness of the crime. 

"Considering your offense and your constitutional records, the Board concludes that you should serve more of your sentence before being paroled," the board determined. 

Malvo was 18 years old when he was convicted for his participation in the sniper spree, alongside John Allen Muhammad, that terrorized the D.C. area. The pair killed 10 people and wounded three. Others were also killed during their travel from Washington state to the D.C. region.  

Malvo was then sentenced to multiple life terms after he pleaded guilty to killing six people in Montgomery County in Oct. 2002. 

Muhammad was executed in 2009 for the crimes.

Since Malvo was 17 at the time of the incident, under Maryland law, a sentence for a juvenile offender does not permit a sentence of life without parole when convicted of homicide if the sentencing court determines that the offender’s crime was the result of transient immaturity, as opposed to permanent incorrigibility.  

Just weeks ago, Maryland's high court requested a resentencing for Malvo to be tried as a juvenile offender. Oral arguments for the request for either sentencing relief or release were held in February of this year, almost 20 years after the original conviction.

The request came after the Juvenile Restoration Act (JUVRA) was signed into law just a few months prior. Under the act, a juvenile offender who was convicted as an adult and serving a sentence that was imposed before Oct. 1, 2021, may file a motion for reduction after serving 20 years of the sentence.

According to a court document, the defendant is entitled to be resentenced to ensure compliance with the U.S. Constitution's Eighth Amendment.

The resentencing will remain within the discretion of the sentencing court for Malvo. Currently, no information has been released as to when the Supreme Court resentencing will begin.

    

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