Path Clear to Try Sniper Team in Other States

The remaining charges in Virginia against convicted snipers John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo will be dismissed, possibly clearing the way for the men to be tried in other states, where Muhammad again could receive the death penalty.

Hanover Commonwealth Atty. Kirby Porter said he would not prosecute Muhammad and Malvo for attempted capital murder because the victim did not want to testify and because it would delay their trials elsewhere on more serious charges.

Jeffrey Hopper, now 40, was critically wounded at the height of the October 2002 shooting rampage that terrorized the Washington, D.C., area. He was shot in the chest by a high-powered rifle as he and his wife emerged from a restaurant.