Verdict Reached In Death Penalty Trial Of Boston Marathon Bomber

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has been found guilty of all 30 counts, including all 17 of the counts carrying the death penalty, as the jury read its verdict Wednesday afternoon. The verdict came after the jury deliberated a little over 12 hours over the course of two days. Tsarnaev was facing those 30 charges for his role in the Boston Marathon bombing almost two years ago. The same jury, comprised of seven women and five men, will decide if he should be put to death during the sentencing phase of the trial. (Authorities released a blank copy of the 32 page verdict form that you can see here.)

As Boston.com reported earlier today,

Tsarnaev was accused of planning and perpetrating the bombing of the Boston Marathon with his older brother Tamerlan on April 15, 2013, which killed three people and maimed and injured over 260 more. Tsarnaev was also accused of the killing of MIT police officer Sean Collier three days later, carjacking the driver of a Mercedes SUV at gunpoint, and shooting and throwing bombs at police in a shootout in Watertown.

Tsarnaev’s lawyers admitted he participated in the bombings, but said his now-dead older brother was the driving force behind the 2013 deadly attack.

The Washington Post reported that Monday concluded closing arguments in the trial in Boston:

In the morning, U.S. District Court judge George O’Toole gave his final directions to the jury on all of the charges that had been placed against the accused. This took some time as Judge O’Toole wanted to make sure the jury understood what was required. Before lunch, U.S. Attorney for the Prosecution Aloke Chakravarty gave his direct assessment of what he expected of the jury. This was followed after lunch by defense attorney Judy Clarke who asked that the jury look at all of the information required and where she thought the prosecution’s case was thin. The day ended with another clear enunciation of the rules and expectations from Judge O’Toole.

You must be logged in to post a comment Login