Kaine asked to spare convicted sniper

RICHMOND, Va., Oct. 24 (UPI) -- Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine should spare the life of John Allen Muhammad, the so-called Beltway sniper serial killer, his lawyers say.

Muhammad's attorneys, who were not identified, said in a statement Friday their client should not be executed for his role in the October 2002 shooting rampage because he is mentally ill, the Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch reported.

The attorneys allege their client has "brain damage, brain dysfunction, neurological deficits, as well as his psychotic and delusional behavior."

Muhammad, 48, was convicted along with Lee Boyd Malvo, 24, of killing 10 people and wounding three others during their rampage in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia.

Muhammad was convicted and sentenced to death for fatally shooting Dean Harold Meyers, 53, near Manassas, Va., on Oct. 9, 2002.

The Times-Dispatch said the Persian Gulf War veteran's attorneys offered audio interviews with lawyers, mental health experts and witnesses as part of their request for executive clemency from Kaine.