Malvo Cooperating With Sniper Investigators

A Montgomery County homicide sergeant who took the stand today in John Allen Muhammad's Maryland trial said the sniper's alleged accomplice, Lee Boyd Malvo, told the investigator in recent months about Muhammad's involvement in the Oct. 2002 Washington region sniper shootings.

Sgt. Roger L. Thomson said Malvo described Muhammad's role in the shootings during a conversation that happened sometime after March. He did not elaborate on the substance or context of the conversation, but the admission suggests that Malvo, who, like Muhammad, faces six counts of first-degree murder in Maryland, has cooperated with law enforcement officials prosecuting Muhammad.

Malvo, who is scheduled to go on trial in October, will likely take the stand against Muhammad in coming weeks, according to sources familiar with the case.

Muhammad has repeatedly referred to Malvo as "my son," in front of the jury, and has said he and Malvo are not responsible for the shootings.

The admission came after Muhammad aggressively cross-examined Thomson, asking the homicide unit supervisor about numerous reports about white vans and white box trucks seen near or at several of the crime scenes.

Thomson said that investigators hadn't located Muhammad's blue Chevy Caprice in any of the surveillance videos they reviewed from cameras near or in the immediate vicinity of crime scenes.

Muhammad, 45, has been convicted in Virginia and is on death row. Malvo also has been convicted in Virginia and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.