Washington sniper on trial again

Muhammad already faces the death penalty in Virginia

Opening statements are expected in a Maryland court on Thursday as one of the men accused of being the Washington sniper faces a second murder trial.

John Allen Muhammad is accused of six counts of murder in Montgomery County, just outside Washington DC in 2002.

In 2004, he was sentenced to death by a court in neighbouring Virginia after he was convicted of one fatal shooting.

Lee Boyd Malvo, also convicted in Virginia, is expected to plead guilty and testify against Muhammad.

A series of shootings in and around Washington DC in October 2002 left 10 people dead and three injured.

Malvo, sentenced to life in prison without parole by a Virginia court, faces trial in Maryland for the same six murders but is expected to give evidence against Muhammad.

Impartial jury

Muhammad has chosen to represent himself after firing his court-appointed lawyers in March and has revealed little about how he plans to convince jurors of his innocence.

The two men shot victims from inside the boot of their car

Muhammad is expected to remind jurors he "is a human being" and raise the "questionable" evidence in his first sniper shooting case in Virginia, according to Russell Neverdon, a standby lawyer providing legal advice.

Before opening statements can begin, prosecutors and Muhammad have to choose a jury of 12 people from 80 prospective jurors, selected from an initial pool of 300 people.

Muhammad's former lawyers had argued that the entire pool should be dismissed as they already had opinions on their client's guilt.

Many of the potential jurors said they believed Muhammad was guilty or played a part in the killings. They recalled keeping their children indoors and avoiding public places and said they would find it difficult to be impartial.