One suspected ties to D.C. shootings, other wondered who did it

11:31 PM CDT on Friday, June 16, 2006

The Washington Post

WASHINGTON – Albert Michalczyk wants his day in court. John Gaeta is not so sure it matters anymore.

The two men said Friday that learning of sniper Lee Boyd Malvo's reported admission that he and John Allen Muhammad shot them months before terrorizing the Washington, D.C., area provides some solace.

Mr. Malvo also told law enforcement officials about two slayings that had not been linked publicly to the snipers: Billy Gene Dillon in Denton and an unidentified man killed in Los Angeles during a robbery.

For the two survivors, the news brought answers and attention.

Mr. Michalczyk, 76, was watching television with his wife Friday morning when he was startled by a news bulletin that flashed across the bottom of the screen announcing the report of Mr. Malvo's admission.

"I said all along I was sure it was those guys who shot my husband," Penna Michalczyk said Friday. "We're just all grateful he wasn't killed."

Mr. Michalczyk now jokes about his shooting. "I lost a beautiful shirt," he said with a laugh.

But the shot fired from afar May 18, 2002, at a golf course in Clearwater, Fla., has puzzled his relatives for years.

"Now it's just going to be nice to know who finally did it," Mr. Michalczyk said.

In Albany, La., Mr. Gaeta, 54, had to stop shaving three times Friday morning to answer calls from reporters. "This puts a little closure about who did this to me," he said.

He has spent years wondering what made him an attractive target the night of Aug. 1, 2002, as he was changing a slashed tire outside a mall in Hammond, La.

"I'm 5 foot 3," Mr. Gaeta said. "Maybe I looked passive. Maybe they thought they'd overtake me real easily. Or maybe they just wanted some quick money."

Mr. Gaeta said he doesn't expect to hold the snipers answerable in a Louisiana courtroom. "I'm inclined to let it go," he said. "As long as there's no possibility of them getting out and hurting others."