judge appointed a second attorney Wednesday to defend sniper suspect
John Allen Muhammad, giving him two seasoned lawyers with experience
in high-profile cases.
During a 10-minute hearing,
Judge LeRoy F. Millette Jr. delayed setting a trial date and
named Alexandria-based lawyer Jonathan Shapiro co-counsel
with Peter Greenspun of Fairfax, who represented Muhammad
Wednesday in court.
Shapiro and Greenspun are also
paired in a Fairfax County triple homicide case set to go to trial next month. Edward
Y. Chen is accused of shooting his parents and his older brother
in 1995.
Greenspun defended sportscaster Marv
Albert in 1997 on assault charges stemming from a sexual encounter
in Arlington, Va. Albert pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault and
had his record cleared after more than a year of good behavior.
After Wednesday’s hearing, Greenspun lashed out at law enforcement officers who leaked information about the case, most
notably the
reports of a seven-hour interrogation last week of the second sniper
suspect, 17-year-old Lee Boyd Malvo.
“There are cowards in law enforcement who wanted to taint the jury
pool,” he said, “and who wanted to seal this case.”
In the courtroom, the 49-year-old lawyer seemed at
ease, enthusiastically shaking hands with Prince William Commonwealth’s Attorney Paul B. Ebert and conferring briefly with him
and his prosecution team before the hearing.
Greenspun told Ebert that he had no desire to hinder a speedy court
process but that he needed more time with Muhammad before the court
set a trial date. The judge postponed assigning a trial date until a
Dec. 12 hearing.
Again wearing a bright-orange
prison jumpsuit, Muhammad said just four words — “yes, sir”
and “no, sir” — during Wednesday’s hearing.
The 41-year-old also had almost no interaction with his lawyer,
other than a nudge from Greenspun encouraging him to stand when
addressing the judge. Greenspun later said his client has been
“completely cooperative with me.”
Col.
Glendell Hill, superintendent of the Prince William- Manassas
Regional Adult Detention Center, where Muhammad has been held for
the past week, said the man suspected in 10 shooting deaths across
Maryland, Virginia and Washington has met with his attorney several times.
Those interactions, two court
appearances and a daily hourlong recreational period are the only
times Muhammad has been out of his cell, Hill said.
Muhammad,
though not in solitary confinement, has no contact with other inmates
— a typical security measure for anyone charged with a capital crime, Hill
said.
“No one with the notoriety of Muhammad” has
passed through the
detention center, said Hill,
superintendent for more than 10 years. Muhammad is expected to remain
there until the end of the trial.
Hill said he was given about 2
1/2 hours’ notice before Muhammad arrived Nov. 7.
“We had to make preparations fairly quickly,” Hill said, adding that
Muhammad has not been a disciplinary problem. A guard is assigned to
watch over his cell.
Greenspun, who requested Shapiro as co-counsel, spoke
highly of the lawyer
during and after the hearing.
“He is one of the finest people and
finest attorneys you will ever meet,” Greenspun said later.
Michael W. Lieberman, 37, was hired by Shapiro in 1992
and considers the 53-year-old lawyer a mentor. Lieberman later became a
solo practitioner but continued to share office space with Shapiro
until January.
“He is creative, energetic, en
thusiastic, and he has everything that a defense attorney should
have,” said Lieberman, now with the Federal Public Defenders Office.
Shapiro and Greenspun have worked together several times
over the years, Lieberman said. “They’re a great team.”
Both men are strong litigators, Lieberman said, and Shapiro “does not shy away from controversial cases.”
An associate in Shapiro’s office said Wednesday that
he is preparing for several trials.
Among them is the federal death
penalty case against Brian Regan, a retired Air Force sergeant who has
been accused of
spying. That trial is set to begin at the end of this month.
The Chen case is scheduled to begin Dec. 9. Shapiro and Greenspun
scored a pretrial victory last week when a judge suppressed
incriminating statements the 27-year-old defendant made to police.
Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Robert F. Horan Jr., who is also prosecuting Malvo, is not seeking the death
penalty in the Chen case.
Greenspun said he has been
involved in about 20 murder and manslaughter cases, including two
capital cases.
Although Ebert has said he will
likely introduce evidence from other shootings attributed to Muhammad
and Malvo, the Prince William case centers on Dean H. Meyers, a
Gaithersburg
resident who was shot in the head while pumping gasoline at a Sunoco
off Interstate 66.
Dennis Ocampo, who owns the
station, said he and his employees will follow the trial.
“A lot
of our customers are glad we’re trying him here,” Ocampo said. “I
think it’s the right decision. My employees think it’s the right
decision. We have the best penalties.”
The
Associated Press contributed to this article.
