Judge: Prosecutors can seek death penalty for a Muslim named Allah

Marquise Steens and his son Malique Steens.
GREENSBORO - Prosecutors can pursue the death penalty for two men accused of killing a father and his 7-year-old son last year during a home robbery, a judge ruled Monday. Arshaq Allah, 33, also known as Lenox Nathaniel Grant, and Cedrick Brian Cunningham, 34, both of Greensboro, face two counts of first-degree murder and one count of robbery with a dangerous weapon. They’re accused of killing Marquise Steens, 31, and his son, Malique Steens, on Oct. 23, 2010. They were found dead at the father’s 205 Guerrant St. home by the boy’s mother, who had stopped by to check on them. Allah also is charged with rape in a separate incident. The rape victim told police that she knew Allah and that he bragged to her the night he allegedly assaulted her about killing a man and his son, Assistant District Attorney Kelly Thompson said Monday during a hearing in Guilford County Superior Court. Thompson said Allah killed the father first, then made the son search the home for money or drugs. He then shot the boy so he couldn’t be identified, she said. Allah told police that Cunningham was with him that day, she said. Thompson argued the death penalty was warranted for both men because the deaths occurred during the commission of another felony — the robbery — and the crime was for monetary gain. She said Allah also qualified because he was previously convicted of a violent crime, a 1998 robbery. The Steens robbery netted $150 in cash and $150 worth of marijuana, according to court documents. Full Story>>