Dzhokhar Tsarnaev sentenced to death for Boston Marathon bombings

From Boston News

Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has been sentenced to death.

Tsarnaev, who was convicted last month of 17 capital charges, was sentenced to death for six of them. He showed no visible reaction as the sentence was read aloud.

Jurors were asked to complete a 24-page form to work through the death penalty charges in this case. Jurors deliberated for about 14 hours over the course of three days.

With the death sentence, Tsarnaev’s case will automatically be appealed to a higher federal court. That likely begins a series of appeals that could take years to resolve. The federal government currently has a moratorium on all executions, and has not executed a death row inmate since 2003. 

Prosecutors presented “aggravating” factors — including the vulnerability and age of the victims, the crime’s premeditation, and Tsarnaev’s lack of remorse — that they said should result Tsarnaev receiving the death penalty. Survivors of the bombing and family and friends of victims gave dramatic testimony about all that they had lost in the destruction.

“No remorse. No apology,” prosecutor Steven Mellin said in closing statements, referring to the note Tsarnaev wrote while hiding in a boat after the bombings. 

In response, defense attorneys argued several “mitigating” factors, including Tsarnaev’s young age (he was 19 at the time of the bombings) and his lack of a criminal record. Attorneys particularly concentrated on the domineering influence of Tsarnaev’s older brother Tamerlan, who died after a shootout with police and after being hit by a speeding SUV driven by his younger brother. They also highlighted praise from Tsarnaev’s teachers, friends, and extended family, who described him as a thoughtful and sweet young man.