Sniper Judge Gets Appellate Court Nod
The Virginia judge who presided over the first Washington, D.C.-area sniper trial has been named to the state court of appeals.
Judge LeRoy F. Millette Jr.’s handling of the case against John Allen Muhammad was cited as one of the reasons for the eight-year appointment, the Washington Post reports.
A spokesman for Gov. Timothy M. Kaine is quoted as saying Millette “stood up under heavy scrutiny during a very high-profile trial.”
In a release about the appointment, Kaine described Millette as a “first-rate jurist who has devoted his life to the law.”
Millette’s other high-profile trial claim to fame came in 1993 when he oversaw part of the trial of John Wayne Bobbitt, who was accused of raping his wife Lorena, who severed his penis. Bobbitt was acquitted.
The Post quotes Millette, 58, saying he’s excited about the new job, but will have to adjust to not trying cases: “The court of appeals is very different. You don’t see people anymore. You read transcripts.”
Millette’s appointment to the state’s second-highest court must be confirmed by the Virginia General Assembly.
