In the 21st century, it seems that America is now plagued with problems. Terror is flooding the country. Nowadays, the average American has a lot to think about. Every day, news of Israeli strikes against Palestine, their ongoing concern with restoring order in Afghanistan, their possible was with Iraq fills their television sets. Not to mention the growing fear of terrorist attacks within their own country and the threat of germ warfare hanging over them on a daily basis. As if living with all of that was a problem, consider the fear and panic that the recent sniper killings were having on the citizens of Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. What has the world come to?

The two snipers ,once the most wanted men, were finally arrested and their identities became known to every American. Their names, John Allen Muhammad, 41, and John Lee Malvo, 17 really mean nothing to us, but their personal histories and the reasons behind their senseless killing spree do matter. John Allen Muhammad a Gulf war veteran who earned an expert’s badge on the M-16 converted to the Islamic religion shortly after he returned home after the Gulf War. Malvo, a citizen of Jamaica and an illegal immigrant, was scheduled for a deportation hearing later on in the month of November. The Washington high school that he attended could find no papers whatsoever on him and, at the school, he was known to his peers as a quiet youth with a hunger for learning who spent most of his time reading in the library. His relations in Jamaica, describe Malvo as an obedient and respectful child. Well, somewhere along the way, perhaps when he met Muhammad, that all changed for him.

Thanks to their actions, Muhammad and Malvo are now faced with a variety of charges, ranging across three states. First-degree murder charges are being filed or are pending all over the map, from the District of Columbia to Maryland to Virgina to Alabama as a result of their sniper killing spree. Americans are demanding blood for blood, and jurisdictions are fighting as to which charges Muhammad and Malvo will face. In Maryland, minors cannot be put to death but in Virginia and Alabama it is a different story. The indictment comes as county, state and federal prosecutors and the jurisdictions work out which one should be given the dubious honour of bringing the men to trial first. Prosecutors in Virginia are attempting to get the case, with a promise to the rest of the country that they can win both death sentences. America, hungry for revenge and for blood, seems to be leaning that way.

The question arises as to how the pair went through the weeks on their killing spree without being detected. With Muhammad’s previous training, the two together managed to put together a spree that involved 13 victims, 10 of those being fatalities. The car involved in the slayings was a Chevrolet Caprice. It had an opening in the trunk that would permit one of the pair to lie inside and fire the rifle while remaining hidden, which explains the lack of spent shell casings that were missing in most of the shootings.

During the course of the three weeks, in which the snipers were out roaming the country looking for fresh victims, there were several notes and attempts to communicate with the authorities. One, claiming he was God, one demanding $10 million (U.S.) and the other informing parents that their children were not safe anywhere, at anytime. The notes left many people astonished and even more afraid for their lives and the lives of others. With that information leaking through the press, thousands of children were kept home from school, and motorists avoided filling their tanks at gas stations were they felt unsafe. Many filled up with $3 or $4 and sped off according to one gas station owner. Some found themselves at the subway stop hiding behind walls or pacing to and fro, essentially making themselves a moving target. No one felt safe anymore.

When the news of Muhammad and Malvo’s arrest was announced, it was like the first glimmer of sunrise after a long darkness that had stretched on for three long weeks. Many finally felt safe enough to walk out onto their front lawn for the first time since the beginning of October. Everyone felt free again, to smile, to shop for groceries, and to send their kids to school. Even though it was only three weeks of fear and of hiding away from the snipers, it must have seemed like a decade. Once the news broke, the average citizen felt comfortable enough to once again do the simple everyday things that had previously just been a haunting thought.

Many Americans are looking forward to the day when the death penalty is given to the snipers. By putting them to death, America figures that they can finally put one of their problems to rest. As Muhammad’s own son, Lindbergh says, “If you’re man enough to do the crime, then you better be man enough to face the executioner.” Clearly Muhammad sees neither his father nor his accomplice, young Mr. Malvo as candidates for judicial mercy. If your own son can’t see a reason for you to live, then how must the rest of America be feeling?