Denton, TX—
"Confess before he dies", that is what Denton resident, Jeremy Marr is asking of convicted D.C. Sniper, John Muhammad. "All I have to say is if he has information about this case to come clean". Muhammad is set to be executed next month. The convicted killer has been linked to 17 murders in or near the nation's capitol.Marr and his wife, Kristy were friends of 37-year old Billy Gene Dillon, who they suspect was murdered by Muhammad and his young accomplice, Lee Malvo. Dillon was shot in the head by a sniper while trimming trees in rural Denton County in 2002. Investigators have made no arrests in the case that has haunted family and friends. "My family was close to his and it was such a devastation on both parts", says Kristy Marr.
Denton County Sheriff's investigators combed the street where Dillon was killed, recovering only tiny bullet fragments. Authorities say the samples were too small to link in testing to the guns used by the snipers.
For years, Dillon's parents have longed for answers in the case. "I always wanted to know what happened to my son", Sarah Dillon told The 33 News in 2007. It wasn't until five years after her son's murder that Malvo reported implicated himself and Muhammad in the killing. "A cold chill went over my body", said Billy Dillon Sr.
Muhammad reportedly referred to the Denton sniper killing during closing arguments of his trial, where he represented himself. He refuses to speak to Denton County investigators, who have requested an interview.
Virginia prison officials say Muhammad is set to be executed November 10th by his choice of lethal injection or the electric chair. Friends of Dillon fear that he will go to his death, without giving them some answers. "We need closure", says Marr.
Muhammad's attorney will ask for clemency from the governor later this week.
