Jurors hear a chilling admission by Malvo on tape

CHESAPEAKE, Va. — In an audiotape played for the jury Tuesday, a soft-spoken Lee Boyd Malvo told police he pulled the trigger in all of the sniper attacks that terrified the Washington, D.C., area in fall 2002.

"I intended to kill them all," said Malvo, then 17.

Meanwhile, in nearby Virginia Beach, a jury heard more evidence Tuesday on whether John Allen Muhammad should get the death penalty for masterminding the attacks. Muhammad was convicted Monday in the murder of Dean Harold Meyers.

Prosecutors said Tuesday that a map in a laptop computer found in Muhammad’s car indicates that the former Army veteran had planned more killings over a wide swath.

The map appears to show more than two dozen locations, stretching south to Raleigh, N.C., with markings such as "good spot" and "good stop." An icon for Norfolk, near where the trial is being held, was labeled "Good eastern move, many ways out."

Malvo, now 18, is on trial on charges of murdering FBI analyst Linda Franklin, who was cut down by a bullet outside a Home Depot store. He could get the death penalty if convicted. Ten people died and three were wounded during the three-week sniper spree in Washington, Maryland and Virginia.

Malvo’s attorneys contend Malvo is innocent by reason of insanity.

Tuesday marked the first time the tape with the Malvo confession was played publicly. A little more than an hour of it was played for jurors, who were given transcripts because the sound was poor and Malvo’s voice was soft.

When Malvo’s interrogator, Samuel Walker, asked Malvo whether he squeezed the trigger in all the shootings, Malvo first responded, "Basically, yeah."

Asked to clarify, Malvo said, "In all of them."

Walker testified Tuesday that Malvo was candid and cooperative and never appeared to be out of contact with reality during the conversation, which lasted an hour and 40 minutes.