Boston Bomber Found Guilty; Likely to Receive Death Penalty
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the 21 year-old Russian immigrant suspected of perpetrating the Boston Bombings has been found guilty on all thirty counts he was charged with. Seventeen of those counts, independently, would be enough to make him eligible for a death sentence. Among other charges, Tsarnaev was found guilty of conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction, actual use of a weapon of mass destruction, and multiple counts of homicide.
It was known early on that he would likely be convicted on most counts. His attorney, Judy Clarke, admitted in her opening statements that Tsarnaev had perpetrated the bombing along with his older brother, Tamerlan. The question was always how much leniency the court would show him in the sentencing. It does not appear likely that his defense will be able to save him from the death penalty.
Clarke argued that although Dzhokhar participated in the bombings, he did so under the sway of his radicalized older brother. Tamerlan, 7 years older, was already a sworn jihadist determined to get revenge on the U.S. for it’s war efforts in the Middle East. The prosecution argued that regardless of how Dzhokhar came to be a jihadist, he committed an act of terrorism and as an adult, deserves the proper penalty. Tamerlan was killed when police shot him, or perhaps seconds later when Dzhokar ran him over while attempting a chaotic escape.
If Tsarnaev is not sentenced to die at the hands of an executioner, he will spend the rest of his life in prison.
