The Washington Post is reporting that D.C.-area sniper Lee Boyd Malvo wanted to legally change his name, but Wise County Judge Tammy McElyea rejected the request on Friday. Malvo was 17 when he went on a cross-country killing spree with John Allen Muhammad, culminating in 10 murders in the Washington, D.C., area over a three-week period in October 2002. Muhammad was executed; Malvo was sentenced to life in prison.
In court filings, Malvo claimed that he wanted to change his name to prevent assault from other inmates based on his notoriety. McElyea noted that Malvo had not had problems in his seven years at Red Onion State Prison in Pound.
So why the name change? Malvo has one of the most recognizable faces in crime history, so changing his name probably wouldn’t help anyway. If indeed he is being assaulted in prison, he might want to chalk that up to karma. Although he was 17 when he participated in the murders and under the influence of John Allen Muhammad, Malvo was old enough to know that what he was doing was wrong. Now he’ll have to live with the consequences of his actions and his name for the rest of his life.
Read more at the Washington Post.
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