John Allen Muhammad is dead. It’s a morbid sentence, and for that matter a morbid blog topic. But, I have to say that I believe in this circumstance, justice was served.

The DC sniper spread terror across a three state region for weeks, and while he was convicted for killing one person, in reality it is believed he and his teenage accomplice took 10 lives in Maryland, DC, and Virginia.

That accomplice, since he was 17 years old at the time of the shootings, wasn’t eligible for the death penalty and will instead spend the rest of his life behind bars.

Muhammad is a different story. He sat on death row for several years, exhausting his appeals all the way to the US Supreme Court and Governor Tim Kaine. Fortunately, those appeals fell on deaf ears.

I’ve often said there are varying degrees of terror. Certainly what the 9-11 terrorists did 8 years ago shook our country to its foundation, killing 2,993 people, rocking the financial core of our country’s financial district/system and the symbol of military might for the world’s strongest democracy, disrupting air travel for years to come, and starting two wars that we are still fighting to this day. That doesn’t even begin to mention the mental anguish of the family members of those who died on that fateful day or the children who lost a parent. It doesn’t take into consideration the impact on our first responders, many of whom will have longstanding health concerns from breathing in the debris spread from the falling of the towers. That pain and suffering was at one time unimaginable. Now, it is a reality for us.

And, as bad as 9-11 was, the terror that could be unleashed by a series of attacks similar to what happened with the DC snipers could be much more paralyzing. Consider that these two snipers laid in wait in the back of their car that was rigged with a peep hole to fit their gun. It was as premeditated as it could possibly be. Their attacks had an entire region of the country on edge. People were literally running in a zig-zag formation into stores. Others were scared to leave their homes. Schools canceled outdoor activities and postponed homecoming festivities.

For people living in America’s heartland, what happened in New York City and Washington, DC on 9-11 was horrific but it was something that happened in the “big” cities. What happened with the snipers was going on in their backyard, in parts of suburbia. A coordinated series of attacks like that across the heartland of America, in the rural segments of our country could have a more chilling impact. It’s scary thought.

Which brings us back to John Allen Muhammad. His actions deserve the death penalty. It was a fitting retribution for the terror he unleashed and maybe it will serve as a deterrent to others.

Good riddance John Allen Muhammad.