Sniper suspect John Allen Muhammad has stopped acting as his own lawyer at his trial after only one day of cross-examining witnesses.
Judge LeRoy F Millette Jr informed the jury of Muhammad's change of mind after a half-hour conference at the judge's bench.
Jonathan Shapiro and Peter Greenspun, who had been advising him on standby since his decision to represent himself on Monday, returned to their former roles as his defence lawyers. Muhammad had demanded the right to represent himself, just as opening arguments were to begin in his death penalty trial.
He is being tried on murder charges related to the killing of Dean Harold Meyers, who was shot at a Virginia petrol station during a series of sniper attacks last October around the Washington metropolitan area in which 10 people were killed.
Muhammad, 42, and fellow suspect Lee Boyd Malvo, 18, are also suspected or charged in shootings in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Arizona and Washington state. Malvo will be tried separately.
Prosecutors complained about Muhammad's self-representation and asked the judge to rescind it. They said he was receiving too much help from Shapiro and Greenspun, whose roles were supposed to be limited. Millette ordered Muhammad to physically distance himself from the lawyers.
After being restored to the role of defence lawyer, Greenspun launched a series of objections during the testimony of Chris Okupski, who sold Muhammad the Chevrolet Caprice prosecutors believe was the vehicle used in the sniper attacks.
Greenspun won many of his objections, something that happened only rarely while Muhammad represented himself. On Tuesday Muhammad cross-examined one of his alleged victims, restaurant owner Paul J LaRuffa of Clinton, Maryland.
LaRuffa survived a gunshot wound to the chest on September 5, 2002, as he closed up his restaurant. He was robbed of $3,600 and a laptop computer, which prosecutors say helped finance the sniper spree the following month. The computer was found in Muhammad's car when he was arrested.
Muhammad began his questioning of LaRuffa by saying he meant no disrespect and that "I understand how you feel when your life is on the line." The judge admonished Muhammad for making that statement, saying it was gratuitous.