The jury that convicted US sniper John Muhammad of one of 10 fatal shootings that terrorized the Washington area failed to agree today on whether he should live or die for his crimes.
The panel of seven women and five men broke off death penalty deliberations in this seaside city after three hours - a scheduled half-day session - and will reconvene on Monday.
Before adjourning for the day, jurors asked Judge LeRoy Millette what would happen if they failed to reach a unanimous decision on a possible death sentence for Muhammad.
"We have spent six weeks on this trial and I would simply urge you to continue to deliberate," Judge Millette said. He also warned jurors not to do any outside legal research into the death penalty, as one juror had suggested.
This jury found Muhammad guilty November 17th of two capital murder counts, conspiracy and a weapons charge in the death of Dean Meyers, a Maryland man who was gunned down at a gas station outside Manassas, in Washington's Virginia suburbs.
The murder counts include one of multiple murder, involving Meyers' death and one other killing within a three-year period, and one of murder committed as an act of terrorism, a provision of a Virginia anti-terrorism law enacted after the September 11th, 2001 hijack attacks.
The only possible penalties for the 42-year-old Gulf War veteran are execution or life in prison without the possibility of parole.