Boston Marathon Bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev sentenced to Death

Heaps of those affected personally by one of the most tragic terrorist attacks on U.S. soil, gathered outside Boston’s federal courthouse this afternoon, to receive the long awaited sentence for 21 year old, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, conspirator and placer of one the backpacks filled with shards of shrapnel that detonated near the finish line of the Boston Marathon in 2013.

“It was the most closely watched terrorism trial in the U.S. since the Oklahoma City bombing case two decades ago.” CBS News reported.

Amongst the many keen observers of the trial were Bill and Denise Richard, parents of 8 year old son, Martin, who lost his life in the attack, along with their daughter Jane, who was merely 7 at the time of the attack, forcibly losing her left leg as a result of the bombs impact.

Given a choice, the Richard’s voted to sentence Tsarnaev to life in prison as opposed to the death penalty fearing, “ Appeals would drag out a death sentence for years, making it hard for them to move forward with their lives” (NewYorkTimes).

First hand accounts of the trial describe Tsarnaev as impervious, dressed in khakis with an ominous colored shirt, with the sleeves rolled up, and a smirk on his face.
Bewildered by his nonchalantness, the jury denied several pleas by the defense to have the trial postponed to a later date, or moved out of Boston.

Officially charged with 30 criminal counts, including the murder of M.I.T. campus police officer, Sean Collier, in the aftermath standoff with authorities days after the actual attack, the jury found Dzhokhar Tsarnaev guilty, and sentenced him to the death penalty. U.S. attorney, Carmon Ortiz, emphatically affirmed the court’s ruling, stating in a press conference, “ Today the jury has spoken. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev will pay for his crimes with his life.”

Tsarnaev had originally pleaded not guilty, and with any death penalty sentencing comes an automatic appeal.

Boston police commissioner, William Evans, commented on the trial’s impact on the attack’s victims and their families by saying, “It was a tragedy. I don’t think there are any winners here. Four families lost their loved ones. I think everyone gets some satisfaction.”

The U.S. district judge, George O’Toole Jr., is set to pose a formal sentencing at a later date, specifying the time and date of his execution, in which victims of the attack, and Tsarnaev are given the opportunity to address the court.