A Glimpse of the Jury That Will Decide Case in Montgomery

The jury that began hearing evidence last week in the Maryland trial of John Allen Muhammad includes a student at George Washington University, a White House correspondent with a major media organization and a Vietnam War veteran who for a year carried a rifle that was a near-identical twin to the weapon Muhammad and an accomplice are accused of using to terrorize the region in 2002.

At least six members of the panel lived in Montgomery County in October of that year, when the snipers' rampage claimed as many lives. Four admitted that they believed Muhammad was guilty but said they could set that aside -- forget the crush of publicity, the 2003 death sentence in Virginia -- and decide the case on the evidence presented in court.

"Everybody has the right to his day in court to prove his case," Juror 102 said in court early last week, before he was selected to serve. "You're innocent until proven guilty."

Circuit Court Judge James L. Ryan has ordered that information about the jurors not be made public. But Ryan questioned each in open court during jury selection in Rockville, seeking to eliminate any who could not be impartial. The exchanges offer a glimpse into the panel of seven women and five men that was sworn in Thursday morning.

On a questionnaire to potential jurors that Ryan referred to in court, Juror 368 indicated that she had not formed an opinion about Muhammad's guilt and then wrote that, in fact, she had.

"At first I thought, well, no, I don't have an opinion based on fact, but, yeah, of course I have an opinion," she explained to Ryan. "I think everyone has an opinion."

Muhammad is charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of the six people killed in Montgomery: James D. Martin, a government worker shot outside a Wheaton supermarket; James L. "Sonny" Buchanan, a landscaper shot while mowing a lawn; Premkumar A. Walekar, a cabdriver pumping gas; Maria Sarah Ramos, a house cleaner sitting on a bench; Lori-Ann Lewis-Rivera, a nanny vacuuming a minivan at a gas station; and Conrad E. Johnson, a bus driver preparing for a morning route.

Muhammad's alleged accomplice, Lee Boyd Malvo, convicted in Virginia and sentenced to life in prison, is discussing a possible plea with Maryland prosecutors and could testify as a witness against Muhammad, sources familiar with the plea negotiations have said.

On Friday, the prosecution began its case with witnesses who testified about the first two killings in Montgomery.

Muhammad, 45, who is representing himself, has said repeatedly that he cannot get a fair trial in Montgomery, where the attacks took their greatest toll. The defense requested in court papers filed Thursday that Ryan reconsider his decision not to move the trial to another jurisdiction.

"Mr. Muhammad has had to endure some of the most base and vile comments ever spoken by a potential juror," the motion said, adding that one jury candidate who was not selected called him a murderer and another called him a terrorist.

"There is no doubt that the bias they harbor will resurface during deliberations," the motion said.