Jury Convicts Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in Boston Marathon Bombing Trial
Tsarnaev faces the death penalty for his involvement in the Boston Marathon bombings.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev now faces the death penalty after a federal jury convicted him in the Boston Marathon bombings.
BOSTON – A federal jury on Wednesday convicted Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in the 2013 bombing of the Boston Marathon.
After 11 hours of deliberation spanning two days, Tsarnaev was found guilty of all 30 charges against him. The jury will now decide whether the 21-year-old former college student should be sentenced to death or receive life in prison.
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On April 15, 2013, the Tsarnaev, along with his brother Tamerlan, set off two pressure-cooker bombs near the finish line of the marathon. Tamerlan set off the first bomb, which killed 29-year-old Krystle Campbell, who was watching her boyfriend run the marathon.
The second bomb, set by Dzhokhar, killed Lu Lingzi, 23, a graduate student from China studying at Boston University, and Martin Richard, 8, who was watching the race with his family. The young victim’s younger sister, Jane, lost a leg.
The brothers were able to vanish into the crowds after the explosions caused chaos in the area. Both went back to their daily routines. A student at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, Dzhokhar bought a half-gallon of milk at a grocery store 23 minutes after the bombing. Later, he returned to campus to hang out with friends and go to the gym.
Surveillance video helped authorities pinpoint the suspects; however, the identities of the suspects were not known. Once the brothers saw their pictures on local news sources, they decided to go to New York City with a carload of explosives.
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As the brothers attempted to flee, they killed M.I.T. Police Officer Sean Collier, 27, in an unsuccessful attempt to steal his gun. They later carjacked Dun Meng, 28, a Chinese citizen who worked in Cambridge’s Kendall Square, in his Mercedes-Benz S.U.V., forcing the victim to withdraw cash from an A.T.M.
Meng was able to escape the brothers while they got gas for their trip to New York. He then called the police.
Authorities were later able to locate the brothers due to the GPS device in Meng’s car. When police found the duo, a firefight ensued, with the pair throwing explosives at police.
As police tackled a wounded Tamerlan, who had run out of ammunition, Dzhokhar jumped in the Mercedes and began speeding towards the officers. He ran over his brother in the process.
Dzhokhar fled to a dry docked boat in a suburban backyard. Authorities used thermal imagery from a police helicopter to monitor the Dzhokhar while he hid under a boat tarp for more than an hour. He finally emerged bloodied and dazed.
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Authorities ramped up security for the trial by increasing the number of Boston police officers patrolling the perimeter on foot, and stationing a special operations van near the courthouse’s entrance. In the harbor nearby, armed U.S. Coast Guard boats plied the waters, and inside the court building officers with dogs roamed the hallways, The Providence Journal reports.
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