Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Punishment due...
Dzhokhar
Tsarnaev was emotionless with his head bowed as the verdict was read out in
U.S. District Court in Boston on Wednesday afternoon
He was
found guilty on all 30 counts; 17 carry the death penalty
The
penalty phase of the trial will likely resume early next week
Martin
Richard, 8, Lingzi Lu, 23, and Krystle Campbell, 29, were killed in the
bombings and MIT office Sean Collier was shot dead as the bombers fled
Tsarnaev's
defense team had admitted he had carried out the deadly attacks in April 2013,
but said they were masterminded by his brother
But
prosecutors maintained that Tsarnaev wanted to 'punish America'
Tamerlan
Tsarnaev, 26, was killed in an ensuing shoot-out with police
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev today learned he could face the death penalty after jurors in the Boston bombing trial found him guilty of all counts.
The 21-year-old stood emotionless with his arms folded and his head bowed as the verdict, which was reached after nearly 12 hours of deliberations, was read out in U.S. District Court in Boston on Wednesday.
The charges, which are listed in detail below, included using a weapon of mass-destruction to kill three young people at the Boston marathon in April 2013.
Seventeen of the 30 charges had carried the death penalty. The same jury will now decide whether to sentence Tsarnaev to death or give him life in prison without possibility of parole.
The court will likely meet early next week to resume the penalty phase, the court heard on Wednesday.
Families of the victims were also present to hear the verdict but there was no celebration after each 'guilty' was read.
Among the victims' relatives, Denise Richard, the mother of an eight-year-old boy who died in the bombings, was seen wiping away tears as her son's killer left the courtroom. Her husband, Bill, then embraced one of the prosecutors, according to reports.
Also in court was Carlos Arredondo, who became known as 'the man in the cowboy hat' after rushing to the side of Jeff Bauman, who lost both of his legs in the blast.
After the verdict, Bauman released a statement.
Scroll down for a breakdown of the counts
In court: A courtroom sketch shows accused Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev during closing arguments in his trial at the federal courthouse in Boston on Monday
Relief: Survivors Carlos Arredondo - known as 'the man in the cowboy hat' - and Karen Brassard spoke at a press conference after the verdict and said they were grateful for the outcome
'Today's verdict will never replace the lives that were lost and so dramatically changed, but it is a relief, and one step closer to closure,' he said.
Another survivor, Karen Brassard, said at a press conference after the verdict: 'Obviously we are grateful for the outcome today. It's not a happy occasion, but it's something that we can put one more step behind us.'
Two women, 23-year-old Lingzi Lu and 29-year-old Krystle Campbell, and eight-year-old Martin Richard were killed - and 16 others were seriously wounded - when the two homemade pressure-cooker bombs exploded at the marathon in April 2013. More than 250 others also suffered injuries.
A fourth person, MIT Police Officer Sean Collier, was also killed as Tsarnaev and his older brother Tamerlan fled, sparking a six-day manhunt that brought the stunned city to a standstill.
The two men later engaged in a gun battle with Watertown police and Tamerlan was killed when his brother hit him in their getaway vehicle. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was later found hiding inside a boat in a nearby resident's backyard.
Twelve of the charges against Tsarnaev were connected to the two bombs placed at the finishing line of the marathon, while three other charges dealt with conspiracy.
Explosion: Two women and a young boy were killed and 264 others were injured - 16, gravely - when two homemade pressure-cooker bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon in April 2013
Victims: Krystle Campbell (left) and Martin Richard (right) were both killed in the blast at the finish line
Killed: Lingzi Lu, 23, also died at the marathon, while MIT Police Officer Sean Collier, right, was later shot dead
Chilling: Martin Richard, who was killed in the bombings, is seen (front circle) just meters away from Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (back circle) on April 15. Seconds later, one of two bombs exploded, piercing his body with shrapnel
A further three counts were for the fatal shooting of Officer Collier, while the remaining 12 counts related to what came after: a carjacking, a robbery and a fiery gun battle with Watertown police.
During closing arguments on Monday, Tsarnaev's lawyers agreed with prosecutors that their client had conspired with his older brother, Tamerlan, to plant and detonate the bombs at the event.
But they contended that his 26-year-old brother had been the driving force behind the bombing. He bought the bomb parts, built the bombs and planned the attack, said defense attorney Judy Clarke.
She added: 'If not for Tamerlan, it would not have happened.'
Tamerlan Tsarnaev died early on April 19 - four days after the attack - when he was run over by his brother during a gunfight with Watertown police.
However, prosecutors said that the younger Tsarnaev had deliberately targeted men, women and children at the marathon to terrorize the US and avenge the deaths of fellow Muslims overseas.
Prosecutors said the ethnic Chechen, who immigrated from Russia a decade before the attack, had read and listened to jihadist materials ahead of the murders.
After he was found hiding from police in a boat, it emerged he had written a note inside the vessel suggesting the bombing was an act of retribution for U.S. military campaigns in Muslim-dominated countries.
Plot: Lawyers for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, right, had blamed the attacks on his older brother Tamerlan, left
Caught: On April 19, Tsarnaev was found hiding in a boat and had written notes inside suggesting the bombing was an act of retribution for U.S. military campaigns in Muslim-dominated countries
What happened? This graphic, featured in a report on the emergency response to the attack, details the timing of the bombs and subsequent incidents that week before the brothers were caught
On Monday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Aloke Chakravarty told the jury that Tsarnaev had intentionally chosen to carry out the 'cold, calculated' attack on a day when the world's attention was on Boston.
'He chose a day when there would be civilians on the sidewalks,' Mr Chakravarty said. 'He and his brother targeted those civilians, men, woman and children, because he wanted to make a point.
'This was a cold, calculated terrorist act. This was intentional. It was bloodthirsty. It was to make a point. It was to tell America that we will not be terrorized by you anymore. We will terrorize you.'
The prosecutor added: 'He wanted to punish America for what it was doing to his people. That day they felt they were soldiers, they were mujahideen, and they were bringing their battle to Boston.'
Before sending the seven-woman, five-man jury to deliberate on Tsarnaev's guilt on Monday, U.S. District Judge George O'Toole had told the members: 'The judgement is entirely yours.'
Prosecutors had called 92 witnesses over 15 days, including Martin Richard's father, and they presented more than 4,000 hours of surveillance footage.
In Russia, Tsarnaev's father told The Associated Press in recent days that he would have no comment on the outcome of the trial.
Source: Daily Mail
Read more: WBUR
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