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American Morning

The Malvo Verdict

Aired December 19, 2003 - 09:07   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Following the guilty verdict in the trial of convicted sniper Lee Boyd Malvo the jury gets ready for the penalty phase today, deciding life or death for the 19-year-old. Malvo was found guilty of killing a woman outside a Home Depot during a string of sniper shootings that terrorized the Washington D.C. area last fall.
Joining us from Chesapeake, Virginia to talk about their reaction to the verdict are two members of the jury, which convicted Malvo's older accomplice, John Muhammad, of murder, Jackie Marharlick and Jerry Haggerty, who served as the foreman.

Good morning to both of you, and thanks for joining us this morning. We sure appreciate it.

Jerry, let's start with you, and then Jackie, I want you to weigh in as well. Give me your reaction to the guilty verdict.

JERRY HAGGERTY, MUHAMMAD JURY FOREMAN: Well, I was certainly interested in seeing what they were going to do, because of the difference between our trial and theirs with the insanity plea. But I'm certainly glad to see that they did. Part of our decision was that it was both of them working together. And so, seeing that they both got convicted, and sentencing, I think, is good.

O'BRIEN: And Jackie...

JACKIE MARHARLICK, MUHAMMAD JUROR: I feel like we've been verified. Yes, they heard much of the same evidence, again that psychological aspect. I'm glad they finally discussed that. I think they made the right decision. I really do believe he is guilty. And they worked as a team.

O'BRIEN: Jackie, was it important to you that your decision as a juror in the first sniper trial be validated or vindicated by the decision from the second sniper trial?

MARHARLICK: I think it was important to me, yes, I really do. So, it did make me feel much better, much more comfortable.

O'BRIEN: Jerry, there were some details that came out in the second trial that you weren't privy to as a juror in the first trial. Talk about some of those details, and what was your impression of them when you finally heard them?

HAGGERTY: Well, first there was some reference to something Muhammad may have been involved in when he was in the military and possibly participating or throwing a grenade into U.S. forces tent. And my assumption is that there was not enough evidence to actually take him to a court-martial. But one of those soldiers indicated he still had his name, John Williams, then, the name on a piece of paper if his wallet.

So it kind of told me, which I had kind of a gut feel, that it wasn't just the taking of his kids away from him that caused him to go down this path, that was kind of the culmination. But he had been doing things all along for some time.

There were some racial implications, I think, in this trial, that were not brought out in our trial, some references to standing up a new world order or something, and they were using the money that hey hoped to extort from the government to fund that. Some of those things were not brought out. And quite frankly, I'm glad that they didn't, because I think that would have just been a side issue, rather than focusing on the evidence that we had.

O'BRIEN: Jackie, now jurors in this sniper trial, the second one, have to do what you've already done, which is go through the sentencing phase. I know, because we've spoken before, just how difficult an experience that was for you. Give me a sense of that transition from you've made the decision, now you're going into sentencing. What was that like for you? What are the jurors now in the Malvo trial going through?

MARHARLICK: Once you've made that decision of guilt, then you're faced with, you know, that the death penalty is looming. And here in this trial, I think his age is going to be a factor, at least it would be for me because I'm the mother of a 17-year-old. It's tremendously -- you bare your soul during the deliberations. You have to reach down and just really realize what your truths are and what your values are. It's a very difficult process.

O'BRIEN: Well, the sentencing phase, as we mentioned, just getting under way now. We will see how that jury rules on that. Jerry Haggerty and Jackie Marharlick, thanks for talking with us. I know it's not easy to talk about it, so we appreciate it.

HAGGERTY: Our pleasure, thank you.

MARHARLICK: Bye.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired December 19, 2003 - 09:07   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Following the guilty verdict in the trial of convicted sniper Lee Boyd Malvo the jury gets ready for the penalty phase today, deciding life or death for the 19-year-old. Malvo was found guilty of killing a woman outside a Home Depot during a string of sniper shootings that terrorized the Washington D.C. area last fall.
Joining us from Chesapeake, Virginia to talk about their reaction to the verdict are two members of the jury, which convicted Malvo's older accomplice, John Muhammad, of murder, Jackie Marharlick and Jerry Haggerty, who served as the foreman.

Good morning to both of you, and thanks for joining us this morning. We sure appreciate it.

Jerry, let's start with you, and then Jackie, I want you to weigh in as well. Give me your reaction to the guilty verdict.

JERRY HAGGERTY, MUHAMMAD JURY FOREMAN: Well, I was certainly interested in seeing what they were going to do, because of the difference between our trial and theirs with the insanity plea. But I'm certainly glad to see that they did. Part of our decision was that it was both of them working together. And so, seeing that they both got convicted, and sentencing, I think, is good.

O'BRIEN: And Jackie...

JACKIE MARHARLICK, MUHAMMAD JUROR: I feel like we've been verified. Yes, they heard much of the same evidence, again that psychological aspect. I'm glad they finally discussed that. I think they made the right decision. I really do believe he is guilty. And they worked as a team.

O'BRIEN: Jackie, was it important to you that your decision as a juror in the first sniper trial be validated or vindicated by the decision from the second sniper trial?

MARHARLICK: I think it was important to me, yes, I really do. So, it did make me feel much better, much more comfortable.

O'BRIEN: Jerry, there were some details that came out in the second trial that you weren't privy to as a juror in the first trial. Talk about some of those details, and what was your impression of them when you finally heard them?

HAGGERTY: Well, first there was some reference to something Muhammad may have been involved in when he was in the military and possibly participating or throwing a grenade into U.S. forces tent. And my assumption is that there was not enough evidence to actually take him to a court-martial. But one of those soldiers indicated he still had his name, John Williams, then, the name on a piece of paper if his wallet.

So it kind of told me, which I had kind of a gut feel, that it wasn't just the taking of his kids away from him that caused him to go down this path, that was kind of the culmination. But he had been doing things all along for some time.

There were some racial implications, I think, in this trial, that were not brought out in our trial, some references to standing up a new world order or something, and they were using the money that hey hoped to extort from the government to fund that. Some of those things were not brought out. And quite frankly, I'm glad that they didn't, because I think that would have just been a side issue, rather than focusing on the evidence that we had.

O'BRIEN: Jackie, now jurors in this sniper trial, the second one, have to do what you've already done, which is go through the sentencing phase. I know, because we've spoken before, just how difficult an experience that was for you. Give me a sense of that transition from you've made the decision, now you're going into sentencing. What was that like for you? What are the jurors now in the Malvo trial going through?

MARHARLICK: Once you've made that decision of guilt, then you're faced with, you know, that the death penalty is looming. And here in this trial, I think his age is going to be a factor, at least it would be for me because I'm the mother of a 17-year-old. It's tremendously -- you bare your soul during the deliberations. You have to reach down and just really realize what your truths are and what your values are. It's a very difficult process.

O'BRIEN: Well, the sentencing phase, as we mentioned, just getting under way now. We will see how that jury rules on that. Jerry Haggerty and Jackie Marharlick, thanks for talking with us. I know it's not easy to talk about it, so we appreciate it.

HAGGERTY: Our pleasure, thank you.

MARHARLICK: Bye.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com