The man convicted of killing ten people in Washington area in the D.C. Sniper case has unsuccessfully petitioned to change his name, the Washington Post reports.
Lee Boyd Malvo, 26, who infamously teamed together with John Allen Muhammad in a string of fatal shootings, has spent the last seven years in a western Virginia prison. He entered on his serial killing spree at age 17.
Lee Malvo claimed that the reputation attached to his name makes jail a dangerous place for him. "The petitioner maintains that his concern for his safety arises from his belief that the notoriety of his crimes places him at increased risk of assault by other inmates," court paperwork said.
A judge noted, however, that Malvo has never been assaulted or even threatened in jail, calling the risk of injury "speculative."
The judge, Tammy McElyea, denied the request, saying that even if Malvo changed his name, his fellow inmates already know what he was convicted for.
Malvo wanted to change his name to Joseph Lee Ostierre.
