Dr. Mildred Muhammad’s story moves beyond the headlines of a 2002 shooting spree that rattled the Washington, D.C. area and became known as the DC Sniper case. It is also a warning about how violence can hide inside a marriage.
When the couple married in 1988, Mildred, a pharmacist, saw a bright future with her husband, John Allen Muhammad. After he returned from Operation Desert Storm in 1990, the army veteran developed post‑traumatic stress and began to shift from a supportive partner to an abusive one. The violence started quiet: emotional manipulation, isolation, and cutting off her support network.
Following their divorce in 1999, John did not stop his harassment. He stalked Mildred, found her new phone number, and even showed up at her home uninvited. He once told her that “you have become my enemy, and as my enemy, I will kill you.” The words were a prelude to his later acts of mass murder.
The FBI investigation linked John to the spree of shootings in Washington, D.C., Virginia, and Maryland that killed 10 people and wounded three. On October 19, 2002, authorities believed he was the gunman who opened fire through a windowsill in a parking structure on I‑95. After the shootings, Mildred was informed that her former husband was the DC Sniper. She was forced into hiding, and her children were taken by John.
From 2000 to 2001, John and his teenage accomplice Lee Boyd Malvo took the children on an 18‑month detour to Antigua, using forged documents. Because courts had not established a clear parenting plan, John argued he still had rights to the kids. He used this argument to tighten his hold. The family lived in fear until a tip led to John’s arrest at a Maryland rest stop in November 2002. His and Malvo’s trials concluded with John’s execution by lethal injection in 2009 and Malvo’s life sentence without parole.
Today, Mildred Muhammad speaks to help other survivors of domestic violence. She warns that abuse can start subtle, that victims may feel trapped, and that seeking help early can break a cycle of terror. Her appearance in the new Investigation Discovery series, “Hunted by My Husband,” is part documentary, part advocacy. The show offers rare footage of the family and interviews with law‑enforcement officers who tracked the snipers. It underscores that the DC Sniper case was not only a crime of mass violence but also a personal tragedy rooted in domestic abuse.
The release of the documentary comes as the U.S. observes Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Muhammad hopes her story encourages others to step forward before it becomes too late. Her courage shows that even after years of silence, survivors can find strength and help to protect themselves and their children.
Source: Fox News
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