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Looks at how authorities tracked down and arrested alleged snipers John Allen Muhammad and John Lee Malvo. The killing spree in suburban Maryland, Virginia, and District of Columbia; The history and pathologies of Muhammad and Malvo; How they transformed their car into a killing chamber; Attempts by criminologists to explain the crime in light of past serial killers; Frustrations of Police Chief Charles Moose; Phone calls made by the snipers; Muhammad's .223-caliber Bushmaster assault rifle; Uncertainty of motive.

Focuses on the sniper who has terrorized the suburbs of Washington, D.C during fall 2002. Details of the shootings; Randomness of the victims' selection; Panic of residents; Efforts to understand the psychology of the serial killer; Outlook for the investigation.

Offers world news briefs for November 18, 2002. Idea that the laptop computer used by Washington, D.C. area sniper suspects John Allen Muhammad and John Lee Malvo contains incriminating evidence; Number of terrorist threats the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation received since the September 11 attacks; Outlook for France to agree on the U.S. resolution for Iraq; Others.

Presents a timeline of the alleged snipers John Muhammad and John Lee Malvo. Their troubled past; Their journey across the U.S.; The clues that led to their arrest in Frederick, Maryland on October 24, 2002.

Focuses on the defense of Lee Boyd Malvo who goes on trial this week in Chesapeake, Va. for his alleged role in the sniper shootings in October 2002 which killed 10 people in the Washington, D. C. area. His relationship with John Allen Muhammad, who is accused of being the mastermind of the shootings; Malvo's lawyers pursuit of an insanity defense; Issue of Malvo being a juvenile when the crimes were committed; The murder of Linda Franklin, that Malvo is charged with; The challenge of getting the death penalty; Defense argument that Muhammad controlled Malvo and indoctrinated him; The standard that must be met by the defense argument; Speculation that Fairfax County prosecutor Robert F. Horan Jr. will argue that Malvo knew what he was doing; Discussion of whether the insanity defense can be successful.

Discusses the trial against accused sniper John Allen Muhammad. Shooting spree that terrorized the Washington D.C. region; Expectation of his trial lasting six weeks; Deaths he is charged with; Strong evidence against Muhammad and his accomplice Lee Boyd Malvo;.

Reports on the impact of three fatal sniper shootings in West Virginia. Background on the killings in Kanawha county which began on August 10, 2003; Victims of the sniper who were shot at convenience stores and a gas station; Indication that the shootings came from the same rifle; Investigation by a law enforcement task force that includes the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation; Speculation that the murders are drug-related.

Mentions the location for the trials of sniper suspects John Allen Muhammad and John Lee Malvo. Shootings that each is linked to; Idea that Virginia has tougher laws and penalties than Maryland.

Argues that racial profiling against whites was used in the Washington, D.C. sniper hunt. Statistics that compare likelihood of a white serial killer to a black serial killer; Bias of journalists; Reasons that law enforcement was impeded.

Examines John Muhammad and John Lee Malvo, the alleged snipers who killed several people in the Washington, D.C. area. Their relationship; Speculation over the mental state of Malvo; Motive for shootings; Reasons for attacking Washington, D.C. area; Their calls to investigators.

Looks at the town of Aspen Hills, Maryland, the starting point of sniper attacks in the Virginia, Maryland, and District of Columbia areas. The location of one of America's first pet cemetery's; The town's reputation as a typical American suburb; Other crimes committed in Aspen Hills in the past.

Looks at different weaknesses in massive police investigations. The arrest of alleged snipers John Allen Muhammad and John Lee Malvo; Vast array of departments as the basic weakness in U.S. law enforcement; The weakness of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Rapid Start computer system; Inadequate staffing of the public tip phone line; Strengths and weaknesses of law enforcement databases; The use of the press.

Explains how several victims survived being shot by a .223-caliber bullet fired by a sniper in the Virginia area. How the bullet breaks apart at impact; The narrow margin of survival; The velocity of the bullet.

Reports on the role of ballistic evidence in investigating the criminal sniper who has terrorized the suburbs of Washington, D.C. Technique for comparing bullets in order to link separate crimes; Role of the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network, which stores the markings on bullets and shell casings as electronic signatures; Controversy over whether there should be a national gun registry.

Discusses the role of geographic profiling in the investigation of the sniper who has terrorized the suburbs of Washington, D.C. Development of geoprofiling by former Canadian police officer Kim Rossmo; Success of the investigative technology in other cases.

Reports on the response to the massacre carried out by Palestinian Ali Abu Kamal atop the Empire State Building. The concern over gun control.