US jury orders death for the Boston Marathon bomber

[Lite Beer]

US jury orders death for the Boston Marathon bomber
DENISE LAVOIE, AP Legal Affairs Writer

BOSTON (AP) — A jury sentenced Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to death Friday for the Boston Marathon bombing, sweeping aside pleas that he was just a "kid" who fell under the influence of his fanatical older brother.

Tsarnaev, 21, stood with his hands folded, his head slightly bowed, upon learning his fate, sealed after 14 hours of deliberations over three days. It was the most closely watched terrorism trial in the U.S. since the Oklahoma City bombing case two decades ago.

The decision sets the stage for what could be America's first execution of a terrorist in the post-Sept. 11, 2001 era, though the case is likely to go through years of appeals. The execution would be carried out by lethal injection.

"Now he will go away and we will be able to move on. Justice. In his own words, 'an eye for an eye,'" said bombing victim Sydney Corcoran, who nearly bled to death and whose mother lost both legs.

Karen Brassard, who suffered shrapnel wounds on her legs, said: "We can breathe again."

Three people were killed and more than 260 wounded when Tsarnaev and his brother set off two shrapnel-packed pressure-cooker bombs near the finish line of the race on April 15, 2013. The Tsarnaevs also shot an MIT police officer to death during their getaway.

The 12-member federal jury had to be unanimous for Tsarnaev to get the death penalty. Otherwise, the former student would have automatically received a sentence of life in prison with no chance of parole.

In weighing the arguments for and against death, the jurors decided, among other things, that Tsarnaev showed a lack of remorse. And they emphatically rejected the defense's central argument — that he was led down the path to terrorism by his big brother.

"Today the jury has spoken. Dzhokhar Tsrnaev will pay for his crimes with his life," said U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz.

Tsarnaev's father, Anzor Tsarnaev, reached by phone by the Associated Press in the Russian region of Dagestan, let out a deep moan upon hearing the news and hung up. Tsarnaev's lawyers had no comment as they left the courtroom.

The Tsarnaevs —ethnic Chechens — lived in the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan and the volatile Dagestan region, near Chechnya, before moving to the U.S. about a decade before the bombings. They settled in Cambridge, just outside Boston.

The attack and the ensuing manhunt paralyzed the city for days and cast a pall over the marathon — normally one of Boston's proudest, most exciting moments — that has yet to be lifted.

With Friday's decision, community leaders and others talked of closure, of relief, of resilience, of the city's Boston Strong spirit.

"Today, more than ever, we know that Boston is a city of hope, strength and resilience that can overcome any challenge," said Mayor Marty Walsh.

Tsarnaev was convicted last month of all 30 charges against him, including use of a weapon of mass destruction. Seventeen of those charges carried the possibility of a death sentence; ultimately, the jury gave him the death penalty on six of those counts.

Tsarnaev's chief lawyer, death penalty specialist Judy Clarke, admitted at the very start of the trial that he participated in the bombings, bluntly telling the jury: "It was him."

But the defense argued that Dzhokhar was an impressionable 19-year-old ed astray by his volatile and domineering 26-year-old brother, Tamerlan, who was portrayed as the mastermind of the plot to punish the U.S. for its wars in Muslim countries.

Tamerlan died days after the bombing when he was shot by police and run over by Dzhokhar during a chaotic getaway attempt.

Prosecutors depicted Dzhokhar Tsarnaev as an equal partner in the attack, saying he was so coldhearted he planted a bomb on the pavement behind a group of children, killing an 8-year-old boy.

To drive home their point, prosecutors cited the message he scrawled in the dry-docked boat where he was captured: "Stop killing our innocent people and we will stop." And they opened their case in the penalty phase with a startling photo of him giving the finger to a security camera in his jail cell months after his arrest.

"This is Dzhokhar Tsarnaev —unconcerned, unrepentant and unchanged," prosecutor Nadine Pellegrin said.

The jurors also heard grisly testimony from numerous bombing survivors who described seeing their legs blown off or watching someone next to them die.

Killed in the bombing were Lingzi Lu, a 23-year-old Boston University graduate student from China; Krystle Campbell, a 29-year-old restaurant manager from Medford; and 8-year-old Martin Richard, who had gone to watch the marathon with his family. Massachusetts Institute of Technology police Officer Sean Collier was shot to death in his cruiser days later. Seventeen people lost legs in the bombings.

The speed with which the jury reached a decision surprised some, given that the jurors had to fill out a detailed, 24-page worksheet in which they tallied up the factors for and against the death penalty.

The possible aggravating factors included the cruelty of the crime, the killing of a child, the amount of carnage and lack of remorse. The possible mitigating factors included Tsarnaev's age, the influence of his brother, and his turbulent, dysfunctional family.

The jury agreed with the prosecution on 11 of the 12 aggravating factors cited. In weighing the mitigating factors, only three of the 12 jurors found Tsarnaev acted under the influence of his brother.

He did manage to escape a death sentence in the killing of the MIT officer, after prosecutors admitted they do not know which brother pulled the trigger.

Tsarnaev did not take the stand at his trial, and he slouched through most of the case, a seemingly bored look on his face. In his only flash of emotion during the months-long case, he cried when his Russian aunt took the stand.

The only evidence of any remorse on his part in the two years since the attack came from the defense's final witness, Sister Helen Prejean, a Roman Catholic nun and staunch death penalty opponent portrayed in the movie "Dead Man Walking."

She quoted Tsarnaev as saying of the victims: "No one deserves to suffer like they did."

Tsarnaev's lawyers also called teachers, friends and Russian relatives who described him as a sweet and kind boy who cried during "The Lion King." The defense called him a "good kid."

The defense argued that sparing his life and sending him instead to the high-security Supermax federal prison in Colorado would be a harsh punishment and would help the victims move on with their lives without having to read about years of death row appeals.

The outcome of the penalty phase was wrapped in high suspense.

Massachusetts is a liberal, staunchly anti-death penalty state that hasn't executed anyone since 1947, and there were fears that a death sentence for Tsarnaev would only satisfy his desire for martyrdom. Even the grieving parents of the 8-year-old boy publicly urged prosecutors to drop their push for death.

But others argued that if capital punishment is to be reserved for the "worst of worst," Tsarnaev qualifies.

U.S. District Judge George O'Toole Jr. will formally impose the sentence at a later date during a hearing in which bombing victims will be allowed to speak. Tsarnaev will also be given the opportunity to address the court.

-- (c) Associated Press 2015-05-16

[khwaibah]

Put him in Fenway park to a sell out crowd and cap him.

[sanuk711]

Horrific act to do to innocent bystanders & of there is of course a cry for blood letting----

But if he had been sentenced to life without parole, -starting tomorrow---his life would be spent in a cell,--- just a little larger than a king size bed....... forgotten to the world.

Now starts the up to 20 year process of appeal--re-appeal ---supreme court etc ....etc...1/

The cost of killing this person (& others) is reported by Forbes lately as being about up to $3 million 2/

Even Fox news---(The bastion of the right wing) lately announced that it is the equivalent of "Every time a killer is sentenced to die, a school closes."

A deterrent against crime.-- Of course all terrorism will halt immediately , if the perpetrators understand that once caught they will be executed.

Evidently not we know---but even with non terrorist crime-Statistics appear to back up the futility of the death sentence: as states which impose the death penalty continue to report the highest murder rates in the country...3/

During the last 20 years, the homicide rate in states with the death penalty has been 48% - 101% higher than in states without the death penalty. "I think Michigan made a wise decision 150 years ago," said the state's governor, John Engler, a Republican, referring to the state's abolition of the death penalty in 1846 ------

1/http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/time-death-row

2/ http://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2011/09/22/death-and-taxes-the-real-cost-of-the-death-penalty/

3/ http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/deterrence-states-without-death-penalty-have-had-consistently-lower-murder-rates

Edited May 16, 2015 by sanuk711

[Scott]

One troll post removed.

[Credo]

His appeals will likely be expedited. There isn't too many questions about his guilt, so appeals will be judicial reviews of the procedures etc..

[Somtamnication]

It still takes years for the appeals process to work out. The families of his victims were correct in not wanting the death penalty because of years of appeals.

[JakeSully]

Correct verdict. Glad the jury got it right.

[alfalfa19]

His appeals will likely be expedited. There isn't too many questions about his guilt, so appeals will be judicial reviews of the procedures etc..

I agree. When there is widespread public outrage, it seems the process is sometimes speeded up quite a bit, as with Timothy Mcveigh.

[oxo1947]

His appeals will likely be expedited. There isn't too many questions about his guilt, so appeals will be judicial reviews of the procedures etc..

No that is not the case Credo---- many inmates on death row pleaded guilty & offered no effective defense .

here is a sample.

I admit these are the more extreme cases but all of them have one thing in common---the best way to delay a death sentence is (after the trial ) to file for temp insanity at the time of the crime....this can & will be done if necessary (by different anti death penalty groups) without the consent of the inmate.

Michael Ross was about an hour away from becoming the first inmate executed in New England in 45 years when his lethal injection was abruptly put on hold in 2005. Ross had waived his appeals and accepted his execution. But his former public defenders, along with a death-row expert and a former prison official, raised serious doubts about whether he was competent to make such decisions, or whether despair over his living conditions on death row had caused him to become mentally unhinged – perhaps suffering from death row syndrome

Gary Alvord, a Florida inmate who spent more time on death row than any other inmate in the country, died on May 19, 2013, of natural causes. Alvord was 66 years old and had been sentenced to death for murder almost 40 years ago, on April 9,

Viva Leroy Nash, the oldest person on death row in the U.S., died of natural causes on death row in Arizona on February 12, 2010 at the age of 83. He was deaf, nearly blind, confined to a wheelchair and suffering from dementia and mental illness. He had been imprisoned almost continually since he was 15. He was sentenced to death in 1983

Michael Selsor He was first sentenced to death in Oklahoma in 1976 for murder and was imprisoned over 36 years prior to his execution on May 1, 2012.

[NeverSure]

Horrific act to do to innocent bystanders & of there is of course a cry for blood letting----

But if he had been sentenced to life without parole, -starting tomorrow---his life would be spent in a cell,--- just a little larger than a king size bed....... forgotten to the world.

Now starts the up to 20 year process of appeal--re-appeal ---supreme court etc ....etc...1/

The cost of killing this person (& others) is reported by Forbes lately as being about up to $3 million 2/

Even Fox news---(The bastion of the right wing) lately announced that it is the equivalent of "Every time a killer is sentenced to die, a school closes."

A deterrent against crime.-- Of course all terrorism will halt immediately , if the perpetrators understand that once caught they will be executed.

Evidently not we know---but even with non terrorist crime-Statistics appear to back up the futility of the death sentence: as states which impose the death penalty continue to report the highest murder rates in the country...3/

During the last 20 years, the homicide rate in states with the death penalty has been 48% - 101% higher than in states without the death penalty. "I think Michigan made a wise decision 150 years ago," said the state's governor, John Engler, a Republican, referring to the state's abolition of the death penalty in 1846 ------

1/http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/time-death-row

2/ http://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2011/09/22/death-and-taxes-the-real-cost-of-the-death-penalty/

3/ http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/deterrence-states-without-death-penalty-have-had-consistently-lower-murder-rates

For me it has nothing to do with that. It's simply that if he's executed then he'll never be able to do that again.

A civilized society has a responsibility to remove such animals from among it permanently. That's it and that's all of it.

[Ulysses G.]

I applaud the decision. The rest of his life will be lonely and miserable and death will be hanging over his head the whole time. IMO, terrorists should be executed for symbolic reasons, if not for justice.

[nithisa78]

Now he's the meal of a blood thirsty city.

Lord have mercy.

[klauskunkel]

described him as a sweet and kind boy who cried during "The Lion King."

there it is. It's all Disney's fault, making the impressionable kid cry during his formative years...

[empireboy]

If the situation were reversed, I.e., a non-muslim caught bombing a muslim event in a muslim country, what would the punishment be? Any punishment less than that is some degree of mercy..

[wooloomooloo]

Good bye, Tsarnaev. Execution's really too good for him, but will do under the circumstances. Let's hope he's gone within the next two to three years.

Just so we're clear, not all the families of the dead victims and those seriously injured were against the death penalty.

[JakeSully]

I applaud the decision. The rest of his life will be lonely and miserable and death will be hanging over his head the whole time. IMO, terrorists should be executed for symbolic reasons, if not for justice.

I'm center left, You're crazy right. Amazing we can agree on something.

[NeverSure]

Yes life without parole would be better as now this piece of trash can appeal the death sentence again, costing tax payers money and the effected family/public many more years of memories and grief.

The judge should over rule the sentence if possible.

One thing about the death penalty. The guy and his plight continues to pop up in the news as a reminder of his pending death for all people to be reminded. People who are put away for life tend to be forgotten. We shouldn't forget just as we don't forget 9/11. It keeps us on our toes.

This bombing was horrific and an affront to civilization. Another thing to remember. America doesn't put up with his kind of shit. America just might be the first major country where these guys don't get a solid toehold. Running Bin Laden to ground, Texas recently, now this...

That's all I'm going to say other than Americans are well able and ready to take care of this type. You guys do what you want to do.

[evadgib]

If they burned him alive in public the crowd wanting to see justice served would outstrip Woodstock, furthermore the TV audience would eclipse the Royal Wedding. I realise of course that this won't be possible but it would be justified if it did.

[Tchooptip]

Yes life without parole would be better as now this piece of trash can appeal the death sentence again, costing tax payers money and the effected family/public many more years of memories and grief.

The judge should over rule the sentence if possible.

One thing about the death penalty. The guy and his plight continues to pop up in the news as a reminder of his pending death for all people to be reminded. People who are put away for life tend to be forgotten. We shouldn't forget just as we don't forget 9/11. It keeps us on our toes.

This bombing was horrific and an affront to civilization. Another thing to remember. America doesn't put up with his kind of shit. America just might be the first major country where these guys don't get a solid toehold. Running Bin Laden to ground, Texas recently, now this...

That's all I'm going to say other than Americans are well able and ready to take care of this type. You guys do what you want to do.

This bombing was horrific and an affront to civilization

Certainly ...As an exemple let's not forget everyone there were 3 death and 17 people amputated amongst the injured ones, 17 people amputated!

[WitawatWatawit]

To suggest the victims and their families will be upset by appeals is right, but not the whole story. Even if he got life, that would not be the end of it for the families. Every year there will be a Boston Marathon - an inescapable reminder for the families. Every year someone will bring up the tragedy - inescapable. On the 5th, 10th, 15th etc anniversary there will be commemmorations that will saturate the media, and reporters will seek out the victims for their comments.

No, for the families there is no chance it will ever be over, death penalty or not. The reminders, whether personal or public, will have to be faced forever.

[Lokie]

Make him rot for years the Skanky lilttle skunk, and everyday remind he will one day be put to death with very dodgy drugs that will probably go west and cause him sever agony for as long as possible untill he crokes - SCUMBAG Coward! Knew exactly what he was doing - nothing to do with his Dog turd older brother, oh and ship his parents/mother and any other extended family back to the $ hit-hole they came from then let him know that too

[JoeLing]

Now I wonder,
Will Australia, Brazil and Indonesia withdraw their envoys in the US?
Bunch of hypocrites!

[mania]

One thing about the death penalty. The guy and his plight continues to pop up in the news as a reminder of his pending death for all people to be reminded. People who are put away for life tend to be forgotten. We shouldn't forget just as we don't forget 9/11. It keeps us on our toes.

This bombing was horrific and an affront to civilization. Another thing to remember. America doesn't put up with his kind of shit. America just might be the first major country where these guys don't get a solid toehold. Running Bin Laden to ground, Texas recently, now this...

That's all I'm going to say other than Americans are well able and ready to take care of this type. You guys do what you want to do.

Sorry but you surely don't speak for all Americans & I as an American disagree

This sentence is no reminder it is a flag. Same as the flag that robbers see & use to determine risk If they are going to steal they will steal BIG because the penalty/flag is the same.

If the death penalty was so effective then those that use it would not continually need to do so. It does not stop even simple crimes like drug trafficking through countries with the death penalty for doing so

You speak of not forgetting but most always forget the most basic question of all....."Why" Is it that old hestnut..."They hate us for our freedoms"? That chestnut went rancid long ago.

You will in fact put up with this for as long as your actions cause reactions period.

PS: before the fanatics come out with the usual spin I feel this way about all bad actions regardless of which country or people commit them... this one case in point also. I do not disagree with what ever punishment is decided. Although personally I think a life in a rough prison is more punishing.....But I do disagree with all holier than thou "we will not forget" attitudes that never go beyond the event & question what action caused it

Until this is done you will continue to chase your tail....thinking all the while it is the bad guys

Good Luck

[50baht]

This Marathon Massacre could have been stopped. The Police Knew these Brothers were involved in a Triple Murder but it was quashed because it involved 3 dead Jewish drug dealers and 2 Muslim Refugees. They wanted to avoid Headlines in this PC Utopia of Boston...really>>> http://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/article/2014/02/25/waltham-murders-boston-marathon/2/

[50baht]

Put him in Fenway park to a sell out crowd and cap him.

It could have been Prevented but would have required effort such as INTERVIEW MURDER SUSPECTS ! http://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/article/2014/02/25/waltham-murders-boston-marathon/2/

[arjunadawn]

If they burned him alive in public the crowd wanting to see justice served would outstrip Woodstock, furthermore the TV audience would eclipse the Royal Wedding. I realise of course that this won't be possible but it would be justified if it did.

Ah, here's the rub; at what point do we stop being that which we seek to preserve and become instead a horrible caricature of that which we oppose?

[Jingthing]

In general, I'm an American against the death penalty for various reasons including the history of racial bias in its application not to mention actual cases of executing innocent people. But some cases, I can't imagine getting worked up about. This is one of those cases.

[arjunadawn]

One thing about the death penalty. The guy and his plight continues to pop up in the news as a reminder of his pending death for all people to be reminded. People who are put away for life tend to be forgotten. We shouldn't forget just as we don't forget 9/11. It keeps us on our toes.

This bombing was horrific and an affront to civilization. Another thing to remember. America doesn't put up with his kind of shit. America just might be the first major country where these guys don't get a solid toehold. Running Bin Laden to ground, Texas recently, now this...

That's all I'm going to say other than Americans are well able and ready to take care of this type. You guys do what you want to do.

Sorry but you surely don't speak for all Americans & I as an American disagree

This sentence is no reminder it is a flag. Same as the flag that robbers see & use to determine risk

If they are going to steal they will steal BIG because the penalty/flag is the same.

If the death penalty was so effective then those that use it would not continually need to do so.

It does not stop even simple crimes like drug trafficking through countries with the death penalty for doing so

You speak of not forgetting but most always forget the most basic question of all....."Why"

Is it that old chestnut..."They hate us for our freedoms"? That chestnut went rancid long ago.

You will in fact put up with this for as long as your actions cause reactions period.

I observe one central point in your post (I want to respond to), if I may: that these actions are solely or primarily a result of other actions; perhaps western actions? I think this is the point I infer from the above passage.

It is surely an opinion though you do not support it. You smartly (IMO) realize that this has nothing to do with "our freedoms" yet you still reach a false conclusion not deducted by this having nothing to do with freedoms.

Example: Lets say the West as we know it is a power that can project or meddle for 300 years. The authority and the citations for all the jihadi actions exist in documents that predate this period by over 1,000 years. In fact, a cursory review of western history notes islamic jihad as a primary distrupter of the human landscape and the same arguments for the same atrocities exist equally today as they did at the Gates of Vienna, as they did in the Indian Subcontinent, and as they did 1,400 years ago. The west may muddy waters cause consternation among muslims but there is a reason for this; I assure you within the span of the last 1,400 years different responses and standards were applied to muslims invading muslims and muslims conquering muslims and muslims leveraging muslims and muslims imposing upon muslims. It is this way because the koran mandates compliance to leaders Al Lah has appointed over them. Thus, by virtue of deceit or barbarity once a ruler is in place ipso facto lies their authority to rule; this remains true today (this is the foundation with Islam's love affair with strongmen and cults of personality). This standard does not apply to non muslims. They would be attacking us irrespective of Western policies. One cursory glance at the US/Barbary Pirates issue exists within the example 300 year past and this was provoked by no one in the west, just countries exploiting commerce. The result of these attacks led the US leaders, such as Jefferson, to look into islam and note the same thing I am saying above. Winston Churchill equally reached the same conclusions. (The example of Jefferson is itself instructive as modern muslims like to say Jefferson owned a koran. What the do not note however, is the conclusions he reached and why he owned it).

One can only reach a different conclusion when one disregards everything islamists say, all their history, all their books, and choose instead a more palatable explanation. Islam acts upon the world because it is the primary mission of every muslim to proselytize, by sword or word, islam until the end of days. This is the central tenet. This is their central eschatology. This is their central daily inculcation of their prayers. Act upon the world, the House of War (non muslim nations) until such a time as the world becomes a House of Submission- global islam. This is not speculation. This is indisputable fact.

[Chicog]

One can only reach a different conclusion when one disregards everything islamists say, all their history, all their books, and choose instead a more palatable explanation. Islam acts upon the world because it is the primary mission of every muslim to proselytize, by sword or word, islam until the end of days. This is the central tenet. This is their central eschatology. This is their central daily inculcation of their prayers. Act upon the world, the House of War (non muslim nations) until such a time as the world becomes a House of Submission- global islam. This is not speculation. This is indisputable fact.

Funny that, because I work with several thousand and not one of them has ever tried to convert me with words or a sword in decades.

Perhaps you're just talking out of your hat.

[wooloomooloo]

One can only reach a different conclusion when one disregards everything islamists say, all their history, all their books, and choose instead a more palatable explanation. Islam acts upon the world because it is the primary mission of every muslim to proselytize, by sword or word, islam until the end of days. This is the central tenet. This is their central eschatology. This is their central daily inculcation of their prayers. Act upon the world, the House of War (non muslim nations) until such a time as the world becomes a House of Submission- global islam. This is not speculation. This is indisputable fact.

I'm off for a few Singhas.