Educational Media Reviews Online

This program is an excellent re-examination of events that started on October 2, 2002 and for the 23 days thereafter. This 3-week siege of terror in our nation’s capitol left the police and psychological profilers looking for a white van (which was allegedly seen leaving the scene of the first shooting), and looking for a white, male, “loner”-type perpetrator with some military training. The eyewitnesses and the forensic psychologists were wrong.

Using hard-hitting, news style reporting with a matter of fact descriptions, the program grabs the viewer’s attention and moves you through the history of these days of panic and confusion for all concerned.

Because of the randomness of the shootings, the people in the surrounding area of Montgomery County, VA were afraid for their lives, their children’s lives, and their friends and neighbors lives. Everyone was a potential victim and felt vulnerable. The program powerfully translates these emotions to the viewer.

The docudrama, D.C. Sniper: 23 Days of Fear, was televised on October 17, 2003. And, while that made for TV movie was a broad sweep of the Muhammad/Malvo sequence of events, this CBS News production showcases the psychology of the snipers, their personal histories, and the "real" crime drama--personalized.

On Wednesday, March 10, 2004, Judge LeRoy F. Millette of Prince William County Circuit Court sentenced John A. Muhammad, 42, to death for his role in the sniper shootings. He was convicted on two counts of capital murder, of conspiracy to commit murder, and the illegal use of a firearm. His execution date is October 14, 2004. Although it will most probably be postponed by the appeals process.

And the very next day, Thursday, March 11, 2004, Judge Jane Marum Roush of Fairfax County Circuit Court affirmed the sentence of Lee Malvo: two counts of capital murder. The state's minimum punishment is life in prison without parole. The judge was asked to have Malvo get any needed psychological treatment there. Both Muhammad and Malvo may face more trials for the sniper deaths in Virginia and other states.

Two men will share the half a million dollar reward for providing information that led to the arrests of the snipers. Robert Holmes will receive $350K for the tip that his friend John A. Muhammad might be the shooter, and Whitney Donahue will receive $150K for spotting the snipers' Chevrolet Caprice at the Frederick County, MD rest stop where they were apprehended.

Technical aspects: The program was very well conceived and the sensory package is quite palpable. There is footage of interviews with psychologists, surgeons, police, and relatives of the snipers. There is high drama reinvented as the 23 day siege left a terrorized lockdown of the greater Washington DC area.

Three dimensional graphics are used to explain the retrofitted Chevy Caprice car turned into killing machine, and how a bullet enters the body and explodes damaging internal organs. The animation is very good, and helps to explain these points of the tragedy.

The audio, voice-overs, and reenactments all show good, solid editing packaged neatly in forty-five minutes of video sensation. At times, the choice of wording is overly dramatic, but it does not interfere on balance. The truth is, both men were simply on a “killing spree.”

This program would be useful in an upper level high school class, or college or university library to be used by the Communications and/or Media studies program as well as Criminology and Psychology courses. Extremely highly recommended.