Attorneys: Malvo Was 'Under the Spell' of Older Sniper Suspect

NEW YORK – Attorneys for sniper suspect Lee Boyd Malvo (search) filed a motion Wednesday asking prosecutors to turn over all evidence of the 18-year-old being "under the spell" of his alleged accomplice, 42-year-old John Allen Muhammad (search).

Defense attorneys claimed 23 pages of police interviews of witnesses describing Malvo as unduly under the influence of Muhammad had not yet been included in the exculpatory evidence the prosecution is required to make available.

Prosecutor Robert F. Horan Jr. scoffed Wednesday at the defense motions. "I haven't seen a single thing to suggest that Malvo was under a spell," he said.

The defense also wrote that the evidence was directly related to the Nov. 17 interrogation of the then-17-year-old, which had been hotly contested by lawyers on both sides. Circuit Judge Jane Marum Roush ruled May 6 virtually all of Malvo's confession to police, in which he laughingly described the shootings, was admissible as evidence.

Malvo's attorneys have called the ruling a dangerous precedent regarding the rights of juveniles during police questioning.

The motion also argued that the interviews could be used to determine if Malvo made false or exaggerated claims during the November interrogation by Fairfax County police.

Malvo's mother on Sunday told a Jamaican television station that she warned U.S. authorities in September 2001 Muhammad was a bad influence on her son.

"The first time I saw him I told my son that man is a demon," Una James said.

James also said her request to police to remove her son from Muhammad's did not get a response.

"They were to blame," she said of police in Bellingham, Wash. "I told them that I needed help, that my son was in danger."

Malvo and Muhammad allegedly took part in 20 shootings that killed 13 in Virginia, Maryland, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana and Washington, D.C. last year. Prosecutors have said the three-week shooting spree was part of scheme to extort $10 million from the government. Both could face the death penalty if convicted.

Malvo is expected to go on trial Nov. 10 for the Oct. 14, 2002, shooting of FBI analyst Linda Franklin (search) in Falls Church, Va.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.