Yesterday's brief court proceeding and the sparse crowds at the Circuit Court building were a dramatic departure from Malvo's last public appearance in December, when he was sentenced in Chesapeake for a sniper shooting in Fairfax County. The 70 seats in Circuit Court Judge William H. Ledbetter Jr.'s courtroom were taken primarily by members of the media and employees of the county, and an entire 200-seat auditorium available across the street for public overflow was empty.