Dzhokhar Tsarnaev sentenced to death for Boston Marathon bombing – live

[uppityperson]

Source: Guardian

This first link is updating as things happen. The second link has more of an article.

Those counts for which Tsarnaev has been sentenced to death:

The use of a weapon of mass destruction (pressure cooker bomb #2) resulting in death
Possession and use of a firearm (pressure cooker bomb #2) during and in relation to a crime of violence, resulting in death
Bombing of a place of public use (pressure cooker bomb #2), resulting in death
Possession and use of a firearm (pressure cooker bomb #2) during and in relation to a crime of violence, resulting in death
Destruction of property by means of an explosive (pressure cooker bomb #2), resulting in death
Possession and use of a firearm (pressure cooker bomb #2) during and in relation to a crime of violence, resulting in death

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2015/may/15/dzhokhar-tsarnaev-boston-marathon-bombing

---

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/boston-bombing-trial/boston-bombing-trial-jury-reaches-verdict-penalty-phase-n359731

(Clip)

The verdict was delivered by the same jury that on April 8 convicted Tsarnaev of all 30 criminal counts against him, covering the bombing and its violent aftermath, including the killing of an MIT police officer and a shootout with police in which Tsarnaev's co-conspirator older brother was killed.

Of those counts, 17 carried the possibility of execution. The jury needed to reach a unanimous agreement in at least one of those counts to send Tsarnaev to death row. The verdict did not indicate which of those counts the jury agreed on.

The verdict came despite a distaste for capital punishment in Boston and across Massachusetts. The death penalty was banned in the state 1984, and a convict has not been executed there since 1947.

A Boston Globe poll published last month showed that fewer than 20 percent of state residents favored death for Tsarnaev, down from 33 percent in September 2013......(more)

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. I am sorry to hear this. Life without possibility of parole would have been much better, IMHO.

For those in favor of killing, I only can say this:

[uppityperson]

2. I am in agreement. eom

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

4. Agreed, Peggy ...

... and maybe we'll get rid of the death penalty before his decades of appeals are done.

[cdogzilla]

9. Same here. [eom]

[uppityperson]

92. Welcome to DU. I've a question

What is the "c" before dogzilla?

[cdogzilla]

96. The 'c' is for 'Chris'

Goes back to beer league softball days when I had C-Dog on the back of my jersey. Morphed into cdogzilla when I needed an online nom de plume.

[FLPanhandle]

11. Except some here have argued that "life without parole" is cruel and unusual punishment

They want that abolished.

As long as those people exist, I will support the Death Penalty if no doubt of guilt exists.

Better than risking letting people like him out again.

[F4lconF16]

20. "if no doubt of guilt exists"

There has never been and never will be a case auch as that. I am glad you do not support the barbaric practice of the death penalty.

[FLPanhandle]

45. There is no doubt of guilt in this case

and with many more.

[F4lconF16]

47. There have been death penalty cases before

where there was "no doubt of guilt", and we executed an innocent man.

[samsingh]

50. i don't think this is an innocent man.

do you?

[F4lconF16]

60. I don't, but that is entirely ignoring the point. nt

[FLPanhandle]

69. Again, this is not one of those cases

Unless you think he is innocent.

[F4lconF16]

70. Does that matter?

It has nothing to do with the point I was making.

[FLPanhandle]

72. Of course it matters

Unless you are only able to think of issues in simple black & white terms.

Otherwise, it's all about the specifics of each case.

In this case, DP is a perfectly acceptable punishment.

[F4lconF16]

74. Then it comes down to what we think is ethical.

I don't condone murder by the state--legal or not, guilty or innocent.

I'm afraid we will have to disagree.

[FLPanhandle]

76. No problem

You've been polite. Enjoy your weekend.

[Ms. Yertle]

34. Life in a Supermax

would be much more cruel. I've been reading about it, and have come to the conclusion that he is very fortunate to have gotten the death penalty. Just my opinion.

Life in supermaxx would amount to as many as 70 (or more) years of torture.

[elfin]

62. I agree

Now he can visit lawyers and have other rights not given to those lifers without parole. It will go on and on and on, with him advantaged by the system and his lawyers laboring to make pr, political, and human rights points.

And each of the 17? Counts will be appealed endlessly. No end for those who lost precious ones.

[Gore1FL]

73. I'm not sure if "torture" is the right word,

but it would be a miserably boring and lonely existence.

Either way, I agree with you. He is very fortunate to have gotten the death penalty for the reasons you state.

[F4lconF16]

78. Torture is the medically correct terminology.

I can pm you a good post on that I wrote a while back if you want.

[Little Star]

82. I totally agree Ms. Yertle.

[samsingh]

49. i'm not in favor of killing innocent people. only those who kill others.

[Live and Learn]

77. +1 nt

[Jackpine Radical]

81. Absolutely.We need to protect ourselves from those who would do great harm,

but we have the resources to do it without killing. Every state-sponsored death sends the message that killing is an acceptable means of vengeance. Life imprisonment would accomplish everything that is needed. I once looked at the numbers and found (not unexpectedly) that the murder rate is higher in DP states than in non-DP states.

I primarily see incarceration as a means for society to protect itself from certain dangerous individuals. I could see releasing them back into society under careful supervision some years down the road, once we are pretty sure they are successfully rehabilitated.

In fact, a few years ago I oversaw a therapist who was working with a man who had been released after being institutionalized as Not Guilty by Reason of Mental Disease/Defect of murder. I know it's possible to set up ways of returning people to society.

Another thought--my source for this is not particularly god, but I believe that in Hopi Indian culture, anyone who would commit a horrific act such as murder is automatically assumed to be damaged or ill, and the focus in on restoring them to sanity and participation in the culture. I've always liked that approach.

Meanwhile, the most dangerous psychopaths in our society, for example the executives at Ford who carefully bean-counted the cost of wrongful death lawsuits versus the cost of a recall of Pintos for a $15 fix an decided it would be cheaper to just pay off th few successful lawsuits, go free to kill again.

[Marrah_G]

3. sigh- nothing good comes out of killing him

They just made him a martyr instead of a young man who could grow up someday to regret his actions and try to persuade others that violence is not the answer.

[uppityperson]

6. Agree, now he's a martyr rather than holding any hope for him

I do not see how killing him helps anything.

[MH1]

26. I agree.

And by the time all the appeals are through, it will probably end up costing the state more, and more anguish for his victims.

[darkangel218]

30. Agreed. nt

[samsingh]

51. being in prison would make him a hero

i hope he is executed quickly.

[bvf]

68. How would that make him any less of a hero?

Completely against the DP in all cases.

And the arguments hereabouts about the cost of maintaining a life prisoner as justification for killing him outright strike me as truly disgusting. An eye for an eye is frighteningly biblical.

[SummerSnow]

5. Sitting in his cell for the rest of his days would have been better

[Catherine Vincent]

39. I agree. nt

[RKP5637]

42. Agree!!! n/t

[RebelOne]

46. Agreed.

Because it would be a lonely existence for him since he could not be in the prison population as he would probably be killed by other inmates.

[haikugal]

56. I'm not sure..

It's still taking his life. He's very young and will be in prison for a long time. I personally don't want him tortured with solitary or anything else. If society feels he's a threat to others and chooses to kill him, and knows without a doubt (in this case yes) he's guilty then I can accept this.

[Gore1FL]

75. I like your argument.

It comes from a standpoint of compassion. I've argued against the death penalty for the exact reasons you state, but land on the more vindictive conclusion.

Interesting. Now I have to think about this a while. Fundamentally, as a moral being, compassion is attractive to me. What bothers me is that I put my mom in hospice. I took my dog to the vet using the same compassion. I have a hard time circling around and calling that a punishment. (I was pissed off when Ken Lay died before the shit came down.) Somewhere within the compassion has to be consequence for committing the crime. I don't know how both get accomplished, though.


Thanks for muddying my moral waters, haikugal!

[haikugal]

86. Welcome to my world Gore1FL.

I put a horse down because I could not offer him any quality of life, we had reached the end of our choices. It was hard, he still had a desire to live, even with his pain...it was hard and it was the right thing to do that's what I tell myself. When I get too infirm I want the right to check out. I don't want to force my son to have to make unpleasant decisions based on finances or his inability to cope for what ever reason. I would spare him that if I can.

What is the justice system? Is there such a thing as justice? I know revenge can take many forms but justice is a different breed of animal that seems to elude.

What is real compassion? This kid did something horrible and he's very young. He's deemed unredeemable by his peers. He'll never see the outside of an institution or have any kind of real life, ever. I know all that but still find myself surprised by those who are against the death penalty who want to see him suffer (I know this because I've read it here, on DU)...how does his suffering redeem him other than in some sick way?

It's all very muddy, as you say. I'm surprised anyone posted to me in reply, especially a thoughtful one.

Greetings to you...

[christx30]

89. I don't want to see him suffer..

I don't want to see anyone suffer, no matter how bad of actions they have commited. But at the same time, as a free man, he could inspire others to commit horrible acts, or commit more himself. In a supermax for the rest of his existance, he can be forgotten.
Yes, he can't have any kind of life. Neither can Krystle Campbell, Lu Lingzi, or 8 year old Martin Richard. They won't have any kind of life either.
Sixteen people lost their limbs or had other serious injuries. Are they going to have the kind of life they wanted?
Dzhokar is where he belongs. He'll either be murdered by another inmate, commit suicide, or be executed by the government.
But he'll never be able to walk around and hurt anyone else.

[haikugal]

90. Agreed, but no one is suggesting he will ever be a free man, or that he should be.

[christx30]

102. I've seen some people here

thinking that in time, he could change his ways and be a helpful, productive member of society. I'd rather just toss him into some prison hole and forget about him. The last blurb we find out about him is in 2052, when he dies. It's a 45 second blub on the nightly news that doesn't make much impact.

[uppityperson]

7. I am sad to read this for many reasons.

Killing him will do nothing, keeping him alive may give him a chance to say he was wrong and help others not do this sort of awfulness. Also now they go into appeals, etc etc etc, a many year process that ties up so many resources, time, etc tec etc.

[darkangel218]

29. +1

[Coventina]

8. Argh. Civilization 0 Martyrdom 1

[Paper Roses]

10. The jury found that death penalty was appropriate. My thought---

I have no sympathy for this man. He did a deadly act and should not have 10-15-20 years of appeals.There is no question of guilt. There is no question of intent. No question regarding the success of this horrible act.

Why should we, the citizens and taxpayers of Massachusetts pay for years of appeals and incarceration, to reach the indisputable fact that this man should pay for this horrible crime.

I would have supported life in prison. That is horrible enough. If that was not to be, why must the process be prolonged for so long. The poor families, the stressed court system, , the greater good would be served if we were done with this person.
He will now live for years at the public expense, the result cannot be anything but confirmation of the verdict.

I am not generally a death penalty supporter but this case goes beyond my doubts and sympathy.

[KamaAina]

17. "Why should we, the citizens and taxpayers of Massachusetts pay"

This is a federal case. If it were a state trial, there would have been no death penalty. So the citizens and taxpayers of all 50 states, DC, and the territories are chipping in.

[cosmicone]

25. +1 n/t

[Maedhros]

33. Opposing the death penalty is not about the recipient of it.

It's about the kind of society in which we want to live. It's about what having a death penalty does to us.

[treestar]

64. Because we have a rule of law and

if there was any error in the trial it should be corrected. That's what appeals courts are for. Anything else you think unworthy of the chance to challenge a trial court on? That post shows a lack of awareness of the legal system to a great degree, plus apparently the desire that some people accused should not have the full protection of the law.

[Paper Roses]

71. Yes, any errors should be corrected and yes the appeal process should happen.

My feeling was in regard to the incredible amount of time it takes to go through these steps.

I do not have knowledge of the legal system nor do I support the death penalty as a norm.

This act was so horrible, done with intent and in the process killed 4 and maimed so many others. True terror and proven. Those who died, their families, others who were in the area will never forget the bombing. Appeals for so many years just keep the whole horrible event in the face of those who suffered.

I cannot add any more, it seems my thoughts are not valid in many eyes. Just my opinion folks.

[sendero]

105. Everybody...

.. seems to think he will be involved in long drawn out appeals. I do not. The case is open and shut. There is zero doubt as to culpability. Timothy McVeigh lasted six years. I don't think this guy will last that long.

[romanic]

12. Good riddance to trash.

But I honestly think the little coward will appeal; only then will we see if his dreams to be a martyr are legit.

[uppityperson]

18. There are automatic appeals, whether or not the criminal wishes or not.

it happens automatically, though the accused can prolong and do more appeals than just the basic mandated automatic ones.

[xocet]

13. Now that proper vengeance can be extracted for his act of terrorism, we can get back to focusing on

where to target the next signature strike.

[Maedhros]

41. On a related note:

I'm not happy about how we've re-defined "weapon of mass destruction" to include home-made explosive devices.

A weapon of mass destruction is "a chemical, biological or radioactive weapon capable of causing widespread death and destruction."

[xocet]

91. Killing whether it is being done by a court, a signature or by a terrorist is equally wrong...

I don't know how one would scale weapons or their effects; i.e., "...widespread...." The killing that results from their use is wrong unless it is done in absolute self-defense and even then the act is still reprehensible.

NBC used to be the abbreviation for weapons of mass destruction. Based on the sheer number killed by guns in this country, one might argue that a certain part of the 2nd Amendment is effectively a weapon of mass destruction. No individual gun would be though, I suppose.

At any rate, strictly coherent law seems to be mostly beyond the ability of that amalgam of opinions, self-interests and biases that is called the US Congress. Much from it can be hoped though not expected.

[Maedhros]

95. It's just another vague, meaningless term - like "terrorist" -that they can use

to invoke special secret laws.

[rollin74]

14. I was hoping he would get life in supermax

oh well

[BlueEye]

31. There are a growing number of legal challenges to the ADX Supermax facility.

Conditions there are allegedly worse than Guantanamo. Some analysis that I have read suggests that ADX Supermax will join the list of Federal Penitentiaries that were ultimately closed down in part because of their infamous nature. There's a decent chance that prisoners there "for life" will ultimately serve out the remainder of their sentences in a less draconian facility.

Ironically, the prison at Terre Haute, IN is one of the institutions that would likely accept convicts should ADX ever be closed. That is the prison where the federal DP is carried out.

Lastly, (just my opinion, but...) with every passing year, the death penalty seems less tenable in American justice. Given how long it takes for sentences to be carried out, I guess it's possible that it may be abolished before Tsarnaev ever sees a needle. Maybe not though, I would have to imagine the Right would see it as politically beneficial to execute this guy, sick though that is.

[AngryOldDem]

15. Martin Richards' parents said it best

<<For us, the story of Marathon Monday 2013 should not be defined by the actions or beliefs of the defendant, but by the resiliency of the human spirit and the rallying cries of this great city. We can never replace what was taken from us, but we can continue to get up every morning and fight another day. As long as the defendant is in the spotlight, we have no choice but to live a story told on his terms, not ours. The minute the defendant fades from our newspapers and TV screens is the minute we begin the process of rebuilding our lives and our family.

This is a deeply personal issue and we can speak only for ourselves. However, it is clear that peace of mind was taken not just from us, but from all Americans. We honor those who were lost and wish continued strength for all those who were injured. We believe that now is the time to turn the page, end the anguish, and look toward a better future — for us, for Boston, and for the country.>>

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/04/16/end-anguish-drop-death-penalty/ocQLejp8H2vesDavItHIEN/story.html


As long as the appeals process goes on, which it will for possibly years, families will never find closure. From what I understand, if Tsarnaev had been sentenced to life without parole, it would have been served in a super-maximum security prison where his contact with others would have been next to nothing. Being alone with oneself, for the rest of one's life, after committing such an atrocious act, is just and fitting punishment, IMO.

I hurt for the Richards family, as well as the other families, who will now have to endure more agony in the name of "justice."

[KamaAina]

16. In a state that doesn't have the DP.

I'm sure we'll be hearing from the states' rights crowd any minute now.

(crickets)

[RobinA]

19. I'm Not Surprised

But I am disgusted.

[LibertyLover]

21. I wish they hadn't done this

All executing Tsarnaev will do is make a martyr out of him. Life without parole would have been preferable in my opinion.

[onehandle]

22. If only he had killed a kid in Florida with a gun.

He'd be a free man, signing autographs.

[GoneFishin]

43. And spending the $400,000 crowd sourced from his high IQ fan club.

[bluedigger]

23. Largely symbolic sentence.

The US hasn't executed anyone (in our judicial custody) since 2003 and has an effective, if informal, moratorium on the DP. By the time the mandatory appeals work their way through the system I doubt the current public distaste for the death penalty will abate much. He will just have the sentence hanging over his head for a long, long, long time. Which is okay by me.

[hlthe2b]

28. I thought that about Tim McVeigh, too. I was wrong.

[treestar]

66. Yes, even if it is overturned

He'll have plenty of time to think it could be carried out.

[cosmicone]

24. Great news

I hope they carry out swiftly.

[hlthe2b]

27. I am truly shocked by this...

while I am and have been opposed to the death penalty since I was old enough to form an informed opinion, I really thought his age and the death of his older brother would sway the jurors--not to mention the fact this is taking place in MA--which has no DP.

I'm not sure what to say... Life without parole in Florence SuperMax would have been horrific as well.

[F4lconF16]

44. Our justice system is the opposite of justice.

There aren't many good options.

In some ways, much as I oppose the death penalty, this is a good thing. Better than him being tortured for the rest of his life in a supermax.

[samsingh]

52. weren't you more truly shocked when this monster and his brother killed innocent people?

[hlthe2b]

57. That comment is so totally out of place, I will not give you the time of day...

Take that BS attitude elsewhere.

[samsingh]

58. same to you

[LanternWaste]

61. Must be difficult to posses a mind that allows only for a shock reaction to A...

Must be difficult to posses a mind that allows only for a shock reaction to A which implicitly denies a shock reaction to B.

[uppityperson]

87. Why must there be a comparison? Is it possible to be shocked at both?

Or can you only be shocked by one thing? This is odd.

[samsingh]

99. that's a good point - but i'm not sure why justice and society's

condemnation of this monster's horrible actions is shocking.

i picture that poor kid waiting for his father to finish the race. That's what i care about. whether the monsters that did this rot in jail (not sure why we should feed them when there are starving people everywhere) or be given the death penalty. But i'm not sure why either is shocking considering the horrible crimes these brothers and their supportive mother and sister have perpetrated.

[treestar]

65. I am too. I thought

for the same reasons you state they'd give him LWOP.

[FSogol]

32. If the death penalty was banned in the Sate in 1984, how does it apply here?

[CaliforniaPeggy]

35. Because it was a Federal case, and Federal rules apply.

[FSogol]

37. oh, that's right. thanks. n/t

[CaliforniaPeggy]

40. Ah, you're welcome! n/t

[rollin74]

36. Federal case, not state

[FSogol]

38. thanks. n/t

[samsingh]

48. excellent. This is a just verdict and he deserves it ever so much.

[Renew Deal]

53. Oh well

[chelsea0011]

54. Interesting that there were people on this jury who said they were against the death penalty...

and they were seated. The prosecution must have known that you can't be against the death penalty but open to imposing it. Either you are for it or against it. there is no middle ground and the people who said they are against it and were seated were not against it. Nice job by the prosecution seeing through this and getting a jury they wanted. It's too bad. i was hoping he would just disappear in a max prison never to be heard from again.

[Va Lefty]

55. I have no problem with this sentence

There are some people so reprehensible and evil (Gacy, Bundy, Ng etc.) they don't deserve to live.

[LanternWaste]

59. I kinda doubt a death penalty sentence will deter any other suicide bombers..

I kinda doubt a death penalty sentence will deter any other suicide bombers... as it's simply one more means to a desired end.

[christx30]

63. I doubt he'll never see

an execution date. He's young, and, according to his defense at trial, easily led. He'll be stabbed in the shower at some point. Or he'll kill himself in his cell in 5 years, knowing that he will never do anything else of note in his life.

[JCMach1]

84. McVeigh survived until execution...

[Historic NY]

88. I like to see him fitted with a martyr belt....

so many of his followers like to use.

[Jefferson23]

67. I guess we can't get past this death thing in the US, no matter how wrong it is to do so. n/t

[FLPanhandle]

79. "wrong" is a personal moral view

Some people think the DP is wrong.

Some people think abortion is wrong.

Some people think eating meat is wrong.

Some people think homosexuality is wrong.

In this case, I don't agree with your view that the DP is always wrong.

[Jefferson23]

80. Murder is always wrong, even when it is made legal by a government to use as a penalty for

murdering someone else. It is archaic as well, and utilized by uncivilized people.

Killing someone in self defense is another matter.

[FLPanhandle]

97. Murder is a legal term

Killing is not always "wrong".

Even you put an exception into your own rule (self-defense).

Soldiers kill and it's not considered wrong.

Assisted suicide is considered wrong by some people; not wrong by others.

The death penalty is considered wrong by some people; not wrong by others depending on circumstances.

You are basically stateing your personal moral view as the absolute, one and only correct one. Just like anti-abortionists do.

Better to say, you consider the DP wrong, not that your morals are the standard for the world.

[Jefferson23]

98. No, I believe I was quite clear and your attempt to reinvent what I said and meant is

clear as well.

[FLPanhandle]

100. To quote you...

"Murder is always wrong"

Then you immediately put an exception into your rule based on your own person moral judgment.

You are being clear. You are either a hypocrite or you love to use tell everyone here what is "wrong" based on your moral standard.

You are no better than an anti-abortionist yelling that abortion is murder and "wrong".

I don't waste time with people who are ideologues.

Enjoy judging everyone though from your person moral bench.

[Jefferson23]

101. My personal moral bench..well, you have your own bench and I have no interest to sit there with you.

Enjoy your advocacy for the death penalty.

[FLPanhandle]

103. The difference is I'm not judging you or your morals

You don't agree with the DP, fine with me. I understand that's your position and wouldn't dream of calling your morals "wrong"

Everyone here can see who is the one judging and calling others with a different moral viewpoint absolutely wrong.

Like I said, enjoy your little judgefest.

[Jefferson23]

104. I am absolutely making a judgement, I have not been shy about that from my first post.

Have a good day.

[FailureToCommunicate]

83. As others have stated, this was a FEDERAL case not Massachusetts,and the jury HAD to agree to death

penalty to be empaneled. The defendant did NOT get what he wanted (he could have agreed to death from the start)
He will most likely NOT be put to death, as appeals run their course.

And yes, it sucks for all of us, but especially for the victims and families to have to go through all this again and again.

A very sad day, among many recently, around this trial.

[glaeken777]

85. I feel numb about this

Had I been on the jury, I would've supported life without parole. He deserves to be in the general population, not a Supermax.... but for many technicalities this probably wouldn't have happened. He'd get a nice little cell an an hour of exercise by his lonesome. He can appeal all he wants but they'll eventually be exhausted. I can't imagine any court mustering enough sympathy to be swayed out of what's happened.

That said, the jury decided on death... and while I don't personally favor that, I'm not dismayed very much, either. I just feel nothing. Maybe that's wrong, buthe was never going to walk out the front door, and that's the sole certainty I'm thrilled about.

[TimeToEvolve]

93. revenge is for fools

[davidpdx]

94. I am disappointed with the sentence as I was hoping for life without the possibility of parole

but in the end have to accept it. Maybe an appeals court will change the sentence, maybe another case will come before the courts causing a change in the Federal death penalty. I want to see him rot in prison for the rest of his life.

[Major Hogwash]

106. Good.

Now they can schedule a room for him in hell.