Jury sentences Boston Marathon aircraft Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to death

BOSTON — After 10 weeks of heart-wrenching and often 

gruesome testimony from more than 150 witnesses, 

including survivors with missing limbs and an anguished 

father who spoke of watching his young son die on the 

sidewalk in front of him, a jury sentenced Dzhokhar 

Tsarnaev to the death penalty for his role in the deadly 

2013 Boston Marathon bombing.

Tsarnaev offered no visible reaction, though he glanced 

toward the jurors as they were individually polled on 

whether they supported the penalty of death. Some of the 

jurors, a man and at least two women, were crying.

The decision came a little over two years after a pair of 

pressure-cooker bombs ripped through a crowd of 

unsuspecting spectators near the marathon’s finish line 

in April 2013, killing three and injuring nearly 300. 

Among the injured: 17 amputees, many of whom took the 

stand against Tsarnaev with bomb shrapnel still embedded 

in their bodies.

The same jurors — seven women and five men — convicted 

Tsarnaev on April 8 on all 30 counts related to the 

bombings, including the shooting death of a Massachusetts 

Institute of Technology police officer days after the 

attacks. They then heard roughly three weeks of testimony 

in the penalty phase of the case, in which they were 

asked to determine whether to sentence Tsarnaev to life 

in prison without parole or the death penalty for his 

role in the bombings

Though Tsarnaev pled not guilty, Judy Clarke, his 

attorney, admitted her client’s role on day one of the 

first phase of the trial in March and repeatedly 

reiterated it, right up until the closing statements in 

the penalty phase. “I’m not asking you to excuse him,” 

Clark told jurors. “There are no excuses. I’m not asking 

you for sympathy.”

But Clarke did plead for “mercy” for her client, asking 

jurors to spare his life in spite of the “senseless and 

catastrophic acts” he committed. She cast Tsarnaev, now 

21, as a troubled teenager from a dysfunctional family 

who came under the sway of his radicalized older brother, 

Tamerlan. The defense argued Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who died 

from wounds sustained during a shootout with police days 

after the bombings, plotted the attack and built the 

bombs — and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who had been abandoned by 

his mentally ill parents and was flunking out of college, 

merely followed.

“If not for Tamerlan, this wouldn’t have happened,” 

Clarke said. “Dzhokhar would never have done this but for 

Tamerlan. The tragedy would never have occurred but for 

Tamerlan. None of it.”

Though Tsarnaev did not take the stand on his behalf and 

often appeared dispassionate in court, even during the 

most emotional and horrific testimony, the defense called 

as its final witness Sister Helen Prejean, a Catholic nun 

and death penalty opponent who inspired the film “Dead 

Man Walking.” She told the jury of several meetings she 

had with the convicted bomber starting right before the 

trial and how, in one meeting, he had expressed sympathy 

for the bombing victims. “He said it emphatically. He 

said, ‘No one deserves to suffer like they did,’” Prejean 

testified.

But government prosecutors ridiculed Prejean’s testimony, 

implying she would say anything to prevent the death 

penalty. Tsarnaev’s statement to her, they argued, merely 

echoed a note the bomber left in a Watertown, Mass., boat 

before he was captured, in which he wrote that he didn’t 

“like killing innocent people,” but that it was 

“allowed.”

“The fact that now, while he’s on trial for his life, the 

defendant is willing to go so far as to say that no one 

should have to suffer like that doesn’t tell you much 

about his core beliefs,” prosecutor William Weinreb told 

the jury. “When you stack that up against his actions, 

does it really make a difference to your decision?”

Throughout the trial, prosecutors painted Tsarnaev as a 

cold-blooded killer who deceived even his closest friends 

about his jihadist leanings and remains unrepentant about 

what he did. They argued he was an “equal partner” who 

walked in lockstep with his brother to carry out an 

attack aimed at inflicting terror and mayhem at one of 

Boston’s most celebrated public events to avenge the 

deaths of Muslims in wars overseas.

The government repeatedly showed the jury surveillance 

video of Tsarnaev dropping a backpack that contained one 

of the bombs behind the family of 8-year-old Martin 

Richard, the youngest victim of the bombings, and of him 

casually buying milk 20 minutes after the attack. They 

pointed to video of Tsarnaev flashing the middle finger 

to a security camera in a court holding cell before his 

July 2013 arraignment as proof that he remains defiant.

“No remorse, no apology,” Steven Mellin, another 

prosecutor, argued. He insisted there was no other “just” 

punishment for what Tsarnaev did than the death penalty.

On Friday, some jurors seemed sympathetic to the defense 

argument. Three of the 12 jurors said they agreed with 

the defense's mitigating argument that Tamerlan Tsarnaev 

had led his brother down a path of radicalization. Two 

said they believed Dzhokhar Tsarnaev had shown remorse 

for his crime. But it wasn't enough. All 12 agreed on the 

death penalty.

Jury sentences Boston Marathon aircraft Dzhokhar Tsarnaev 

to death 

BOSTON — After 10 weeks of heart-twisting and frequently 

grim confirmation from more than 150 witnesses, 

incorporating survivors with missing appendages and an 

anguished father who talked about viewing his young child 

bite the dust on the walkway before him, a jury sentenced 

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev until the very end punishment for his 

part in the fatal 2013 Boston Marathon shelling. 

Tsarnaev offered no obvious response, however he looked 

toward the legal hearers as they were separately surveyed 

on whether they bolstered the punishment of death. A 

portion of the hearers, a man and no less than two 

ladies, were crying. 

The choice came somewhat more than two years after a 

couple of weight cooker bombs tore through a horde of 

clueless observers close to the marathon's completion 

line in April 2013, slaughtering three and harming almost 

300. Among the harmed: 17 amputees, a large number of 

whom took the stand against Tsarnaev with bomb shrapnel 

still implanted in their bodies. 

The same attendants — seven ladies and five men — 

sentenced Tsarnaev on April 8 on every one of the 30 

checks identified with the bombings, including the 

shooting passing of a Massachusetts Institute of 

Technology cop days after the assaults. They then heard 

approximately three weeks of affirmation in the 

punishment period of the case, in which they were 

requested that figure out if to sentence Tsarnaev to life 

in jail without any chance to appeal or capital 

punishment for his part in the bombings 

Despite the fact that Tsarnaev pled not blameworthy, Judy 

Clarke, his lawyer, conceded her customer's part on the 

very first moment of the first period of the trial in 

March and more than once repeated it, straight up until 

the end proclamations in the punishment stage. "I'm not 

requesting that you pardon him," Clark told legal 

hearers. "There are no reasons. I'm not approaching you 

for sensitivity." 

Anyway, Clarke did argue for "leniency" for her customer, 

requesting that legal hearers save his life despite the 

"silly and disastrous acts" he conferred. She cast 

Tsarnaev, now 21, as a pained young person from a broken 

family who went under the influence of his radicalized 

more established sibling, Tamerlan. The safeguard 

contended Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who kicked the bucket from 

wounds managed amid a shootout with police days after the 

bombings, plotted the assault and manufactured the bombs 

— and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who had been relinquished by his 

rationally sick folks and was failing out of school, only 

took after. 

"Notwithstanding Tamerlan, this wouldn't have happened," 

Clarke said. "Dzhokhar would never have done this however 

for Tamerlan. The catastrophe would never have happened 

however for Tamerlan. None of it.'

Despite the fact that Tsarnaev did not take the stand for 

his benefit and frequently seemed impartial in court, 

notwithstanding amid the most passionate and horrendous 

confirmation, the protection called as its last witness 

Sister Helen Prejean, a Catholic religious woman and 

capital punishment adversary who enlivened the film "Dead 

Man Walking." She told the jury of a few gatherings she 

had with the indicted plane beginning just before the 

trial and how, in one meeting, he had communicated 

sensitivity for the besieging casualties. "He said it 

unequivocally. He said, 'Nobody should endure as they 

did,'" Prejean affirmed. 

Anyhow, government prosecutors derided Prejean's 

confirmation, suggesting she would say anything to keep 

capital punishment. Tsarnaev's announcement to her, they 

contended, just resounded a note the plane departed in a 

Watertown, Mass., pontoon before he was caught, in which 

he composed that he didn't "care for executing honest 

individuals," yet that it was "permitted." 

"The way that now, while he's on trial for his life, the 

respondent is willing to go so far as to say that nobody 

ought to need to endure like that doesn't let you know 

much about his center convictions," prosecutor William 

Weinreb told the jury. "When you stack that up against 

his activities, does it truly have any kind of effect to 

your choice?" 

All through the trial, prosecutors painted Tsarnaev as a 

heartless executioner who deluded even his nearest 

companions about his jihadist leanings and stays 

unrepentant about what he did. They contended he was an 

"equivalent accomplice" who strolled in lockstep with his 

sibling to complete an assault went for delivering fear 

and anarchy at one of Boston's most praised open 

occasions to vindicate the passings of Muslims in wars 

abroad. 

The administration more than once demonstrated the jury 

reconnaissance feature of Tsarnaev dropping a knapsack 

that contained one of the bombs behind the group of 8-

year-old Martin Richard, the most youthful casualty of 

the bombings, and of him calmly purchasing drain 20 

minutes after the assault. They indicated feature of 

Tsarnaev blazing the center finger to a security cam in a 

court holding cell before his July 2013 arraignment as 

verification that he stays insubordinate. 

"No regret, no conciliatory sentiment," Steven Mellin, 

another prosecutor, contended. He demanded there was no 

other "only" discipline for what Tsarnaev did than 

capital punishment. 

On Friday, a few attendants appeared to be thoughtful to 

the resistance contention. Three of the 12 hearers said 

they concurred with the protection's moderating 

contention that Tamerlan Tsarnaev had driven his sibling 

down a way of radicalization. Two said they accepted 

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev had indicated regret for his 

wrongdoing. At the same time, it wasn't sufficient. Each 

of the 12 conceded until the very end punishment.

The jury's choice to sentence Tsarnaev to death was a 

gigantic triumph for the government, who sought after the 

sentence notwithstanding qualms among a few casualties 

and relatives of those murdered. Among the most striking 

adversaries of capital punishment: Richard's guardians, 

who, in an announcement distributed on the front page of 

the Boston Globe, argued for prosecutors to acknowledge a 

request arrangement of life in jail for Tsarnaev to "end 

the anguish" of the trial and likely years of offers. 

There was additionally solid restriction from inhabitants 

of Boston, where numerous individuals contradict capital 

punishment on good or religious grounds. Indeed, even 

after probably the most shocking confirmation in the 

trial, a WBUR survey of Boston inhabitants found that 62 

percent of them supported a lifelong incarceration for 

Tsarnaev. 

Tsarnaev will be formally sentenced at a hearing in 

advancing weeks, where casualties will be permitted to 

give sway proclamations and location the respondent. 

What's more, Tsarnaev, as well, will be given the chance 

to talk — however its indistinct in the event that he 

will. 

Indeed, even at the finish of the almost three-month-long 

trial, there were still numerous puzzles around the 

shelling plot. Prosecutors never said where the two 

weight cooker bombs were constructed — however it was 

firmly suggested it was at the Tsarnaev family flat in 

Cambridge. 

There was likewise the puzzle of Katherine Russell, 

Tamerlan Tsarnaev's wife, and what, if anything, she knew 

of the plot. As per resistance proof, Russell was 

duplicated on numerous messages that Tamerlan Tsarnaev 

sent to his sibling containing jihadist features and 

compositions. Also, in mid 2012, simply after Tamerlan 

Tsarnaev went to Russia to seek after jihad, somebody 

utilizing Russell's PC looked expressions including 

"prizes for wife of mujahedeen" and "If your spouse turns 

into a shahid, what are the prizes for you?" 

Through her lawyer, Russell has precluded information 

from securing the plot. Despite the fact that her mom, 

closest companion and previous flat mate affirmed, 

Russell was never called as a witness in the trial, and 

she has never been formally cleared by government 

specialists. 

Maybe the greatest conundrum of all remaining parts 

Tsarnaev. In spite of the fact that his resistance group 

went into extraordinary insight about his family's 

inconveniences — including a father who was so rationally 

sick he saw nonexistent reptiles slithering on his body — 

the jury adapted all the more about the inspirations of 

Tsarnaev's more seasoned sibling, Tamerlan, than his. 

A reiteration of previous educators and companions 

affirmed, frequently mournfully, about the kind and 

delicate "Jahar" they had known — a keen child who 

appeared to flourish disregarding his useless crew. 

Sitting in court just feet far from him, they gazed at 

Tsarnaev and communicated stun that the kid they knew 

perpetrated a standout amongst the most terrible law 

violations Boston has seen. They affirmed about 

Tsarnaev's trusts and dreams, how he'd discussed being a 

designer or turning into a lawyer. 

While the jury heard confirmation about the relationship 

in the middle of Tsarnaev and his tyrannical more 

seasoned sibling, Tamerlan, the safeguard did not 

conclusively answer the inquiries of why and how a 19-

year-old school kid who invested a large portion of his 

energy smoking pot and playing feature diversions with 

his companions came to be a terrorist. 

"In case you're looking to me for a straightforward and 

clean reply regarding why this young fellow, who had 

never been captured, who had never backtalked an 

instructor, who invested his free energy in school 

working with crippled children …  on the off chance that 

you anticipate that me will have an answer, a basic, 

clean reply in respect to how this could happen, I don't 

have it," Clarke told attendants in her end proclamation. 

"I don't have it."