Boston Marathon Bombing: Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Found Guilty on All Counts

The 21-year-old faced 30 felony counts for his role in the Boston Marathon bombing

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Photo: FBI

After 11 hours of deliberation, a Massachusetts jury has found Dzhokhar Tsarnaev guilty on all counts for his role in the Boston Marathon bombing.

The jury of 7 women and 5 men began deliberating on Tuesday morning after hearing from dozens of witnesses since the trial began on March 4. On Wednesday morning, they asked the judge for clarification on two legal issues.

Tsarnaev, 21, faced 30 criminal counts related to the bombing, which killed 3 people and injured more than 250 others. He also faced charges related to the killing of an MIT police officer three days later, as well as the shoot-out in which his older brother, Tamerlan, was killed.

Of the 30 counts against him, 17 of them carried the possibility of the death penalty.

From the beginning, the defense admitted Tsarnaev’s role in the bombing. “It was him,” defense attorney Judy Clarke bluntly told jurors during opening statements.

But throughout the trial, Clarke tried to convince jurors that Dzhokhar’s older brother Tamerlan was the mastermind behind the bombing and that Dzhokhar had just followed along.

Prosecutors countered that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was a willing and equal partner with his brother, and that he had become a radicalized Muslim.

In the end, the jury agreed with the prosecution and found Tsarnaev guilty. They will meet next week to determine whether he will be sentenced to death or will spend the rest of his life in prison.

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