Sniper Suspects Linked to La. Slaying

Oct. 31 -- Arrest warrants were issued in Louisiana for the two suspects in the Washington, D.C.-area serial sniper shootings after ballistics tests linked the pair to a fatal shooting in Baton Rouge, investigators said today.

Ballistics tests linked the Sept. 23 shooting of a woman outside a beauty salon in Baton Rouge to the same Bushmaster .223-caliber rifle used in the sniper attacks that terrorized Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia. Louisiana investigators said today they have issued warrants for the two suspects, John Allen Muhammad and John Lee Malvo.

"The Baton Rouge police department today issued warrants for the arrests of John Allen Muhammad, 41, and John Lee Malvo, 17, for the first-degree murder in connection with the robbery and shooting death of Hom Im Ballenger, 45," said Baton Rouge Police Chief Pat Englade.

Investigators said other evidence found with suspects when they were caught sleeping in their car last week shows they were in Baton Rouge at the time of the slaying there. Louisiana investigators said Ballenger was robbed and killed with a single gunshot to the head as she was leaving her job that night. Witnesses described the shooter to police as a young black man who fled into a park. However, according to the arrest warrant, police believe Muhammad shot the woman and Malvo stole her purse and fled.

Louisiana authorities said they are also investigating other unsolved crimes in the area to see if there are any more links to Muhammad and Malvo, who remain in custody in Maryland. Attorney General John Ashcroft said investigators were continuing to explore the possibility that other people may be involved or that the two suspects have committed more crimes in other states.

"The investigation into the recent serial killings in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia is active and ongoing and continues to span into new jurisdictions across the country," Ashcroft said in a statement. "We continue to work with federal, state and local officials to gather evidence and follow leads in an effort to determine the full extent of criminal activity. We are not ruling out the possibility that other individuals may be involved or that the individuals currently in custody may have committed other criminal acts."