Moussaoui Jury Reaches Verdict: One Step Closer To Death

Posted on April 3, 2006

Jury has found that death is an eligible punishment for Moussaoui in this case.

The jury has found that death is a possible sentence in this case,” the court’s public information officer, Edward Adams, told reporters.

Jurors agreed with federal prosecutors that Moussaoui’s lies to FBI agents resulted in 9/11 deaths. The nine men and three women reached their verdict on the fourth day of deliberations.

The jury’s verdict means the trial will continue after a brief recess with additional witnesses and evidence. The jurors now must decide whether Moussaoui will be executed for his role in the 9/11 deaths.

Background Via Washington Post

The case went to the jury Wednesday afternoon, and deliberations continued Thursday and Friday before breaking for the weekend.

Moussaoui, 37, an al-Qaeda operative who pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges last year, is the only person convicted in an American courtroom on charges stemming from those attacks.

The verdict culminates a three-week hearing that proved as unpredictable as the behavior of Moussaoui himself. The French citizen of Moroccan descent had long been known for courtroom outbursts, and he often screamed curses at America and blessings for Osama bin Laden when jurors and the judge were out of the courtroom.

But when Moussaoui took the stand, over the strong objections of his attorneys, his demeanor was calm and his words were chilling. Staring straight at his questioners, he said he was supposed to hijack a fifth airplane on Sept. 11 and fly it into the White House with a crew that included British “shoe bomber” Richard Reid.

Although he did not know the exact date of the attack, he said it was supposed to come just after August and that the World Trade Center was among the other targets. He said he wanted to kill every American and matter-of-factly explained how he was prepared to cut the throat of a passenger or flight attendant on the plane he would have hijacked.

And in a series of admissions, Moussaoui acknowledged he had lied to agents when he was arrested in Minnesota in August 2001 so as to allow the plot to go forward. According to testimony at the trial, Moussaoui told agents he was taking flying lessons purely for enjoyment. He was training on a 747 simulator when he was arrested on immigration charges.

Others: Michelle Malkin

“The jury has found that death is a possible sentence in this case.”

This is the first of two phases. Having determined that Zacarias Moussaoui lied about the 9/11 terrorist plot and caused the death of at least one person on September 11, and that he is thus eligible for the death penalty, the jury will now decide whether to mete it out.

Fox News producer Mike Levine was in the courtroom and reports that Moussaoui had another Islamo-hissy fit, screaming, “God curse you all! You will never get my blood” and “Allah Akbar!”

Excellent analysis at In The Bullpen
Sister Toldjah
Leaning Straight Up
Wizbang
Atlass Shrugs
Blogs For Bush
NY Times
Expose The Left with video clip.

My opinion: He wants to go to Allah, send him!

Linked at Mudville Gazette

» Filed Under ACLU, News, Supreme Court, War On Terror

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Comments

2 Responses to “Moussaoui Jury Reaches Verdict: One Step Closer To Death”

American Crusader on April 3rd, 2006 3:54 pm

How long will the ACLU be able to delay his death sentence if he is given one?
Every day he remains living on death row, our taxpayer money is being used to feed this SOB.
He got his day in court to brag about what a bad ass he is. I would love to see him break down before they inject him.

This is a great site.
American Crusader on April 3rd, 2006 9:05 pm

Just letting you know that I’ve included you in my sidebar.