Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was found guilty today for his role in the Boston Marathon bombing. More specifically, Tsarnaev was found guilty of all four murders (including that of officer Sean Collier) and on 17 counts that carry the death penalty.
On April 15th, 2013 Tsarnaev and his older brother, Tamerlan, placed two pressure-cooker bombs filled with shrapnel at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. The bomb killed three people and wounded hundreds of others. The two then led Boston police on a statewide manhunt that ended with Tamerlan losing his life.
The 30 counts (all guilty) included conspiracy, aiding and abetting and using a weapon of mass destruction.
Jurors will now decide whether Tsarnaev deserves the death penalty.
Tsarnaev’s lawyers will present so-called mitigating evidence they hope will save his life. That could include evidence about his family, his relationship with his brother, and his childhood in the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan and later in the volatile Dagestan region of Russia.
Prosecutors will present so-called aggravating factors in support of the death penalty, including the killing of a child and the targeting of the marathon because of the potential for maximum bloodshed.
According to reporters on scene, Tsarnaev showed little to no emotion as the verdict was being read.