Attorneys for the mastermind of the D.C.-area sniper attacks plans to ask for clemency from Gov. Tim Kaine next week.
John Allen Muhammad's lawyer, John Sheldon, announced on his law firm's Web site that he will ask Kaine for clemency on Oct. 22, and that Muhammad plans to file an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court on Nov. 2.
Muhammad's execution date is scheduled for Nov. 10 for the October 2002 killing spree that left 10 dead in the nation's capital, Virginia and Maryland. Kaine said in late September that he couldn't think of any reason he would stop the execution.
"I know of nothing in this case now that would suggest that there is any credible claim of innocence or that there was anything procedurally wrong with the prosecution," Kaine said on his monthly call-in radio show on WTOP.
Kaine said he would review Muhammad's petition for clemency when he gets it.
Many media outlets have asked for an interview with Muhammad, but Sheldon's statement gave reasons as to why that is unlikely:
"1.) prison rules -- for example, they will not even allow Mr. Muhammad to meet with his adult son, let alone a reporter; 2.) mental illness and how that plays into the interview and the ethics of allowing an interview; and 3.) the dozens of requests and the fact that he could not do more than a few, even if allowed."
