Boston Marathon bombing: Tsarnaev sentenced to death

A federal jury on Friday sentenced Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to death for his part in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing that left three people dead and about 260 injured; and for the murder of an MIT police officer as he and his brother attempted their getaway.

Tsarnaev showed no emotion as he learned his fate and stood with his hands clasped in front of him, his head slightly bowed. He faces death by lethal injection.

“My mother and I think that now he will go away and we will be able to move on,” said victim Sydney Corcoran after the verdict. “Justice. In his own words, ‘an eye for an eye.'”

Corcoran nearly bled to death and her mother lost both legs.

The 21-year-old faced the death penalty or life in prison for his role in the April 15, 2013 attack in which two pressure-cooker bombs were detonated near the finish line of the Boston Marathon.

It remains to be seen how quickly his execution will take place.

As a crowd gathered in front of the federal courthouse in downtown Boston, the jury went through its lengthy and complicated verdict form.

The jurors agreed with prosecutors on 11 of the 12 aggravating factors they cited and found the former college student’s role in the bombing was “heinous, cruel and depraved” on eight counts.

The jury agreed with the prosecution that the bombing constituted an act of terrorism involving substantial planning and premeditation on Tsarnaev’s part.

Ripples…without borders, without fears

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now