A new poll conducted by ABC News revealed that only 37% of the public supports the death penalty for Lee Boyd Malvo, who was recently convicted of murder in Virginia. Malvo was 17 at the time of a series of shootings in the Washington, DC area. 52% of respondents preferred a sentence of life without parole for Malvo. Even stronger opposition to the death penalty for juveniles in general was revealed in the same poll: only 21% were in favor of the death penalty for juveniles, versus the 62% who preferred the sentence of life without parole. The poll was conducted Dec. 10 – 14 (ABC News, Dec. 19, 2003). See Juveniles; Public Opinion.
Citation Guide
- Death Penalty Information Center (2025, March 14). ABC Poll Shows Public Opposed to Death Penalty for Malvo. Retrieved October 3, 2026, from https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/abc-poll-shows-public-opposed-to-death-penalty-for-malvo
- Death Penalty Information Center. “ABC Poll Shows Public Opposed to Death Penalty for Malvo.” Last modified March 14, 2025. Accessed October 3, 2026. https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/abc-poll-shows-public-opposed-to-death-penalty-for-malvo.
- Death Penalty Information Center. “ABC Poll Shows Public Opposed to Death Penalty for Malvo.” Death Penalty Information Center, 14 Mar. 2025, https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/abc-poll-shows-public-opposed-to-death-penalty-for-malvo. Accessed 3 Oct. 2026.