The Justice Department has announced it plans to seek the death penalty against Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the alleged Boston Marathon bomber.
Tsarnaev, 20, and older brother Tamerlan Tsarnaev are accused of orchestrating the April 15th bombings, allegedly placing backpacks filled with explosives near the Boston Marathon's finish line that killed three people and injured hundreds more. The elder Tsarnaev was died during a manhunt a few days after the attack, and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was captured hours later. He has been in custody ever since, and is awaiting trial for charges including use of a weapon of mass destruction resulting in death, bombing of a place of public use resulting in death, malicious destruction of property resulting in death, and conspiracy; he is also charged with killing an MIT campus police officer during the manhunt.
According to a statement from Attorney General Eric Holder, "After consideration of the relevant facts, the applicable regulations and the submissions made by the defendant’s counsel, I have determined that the United States will seek the death penalty in this matter. The nature of the conduct at issue and the resultant harm compel this decision."
If convicted, Tsarnaev will not necessarily be sentenced to death; the NY Times notes that federal prosecutors withdraw the death penalty in about half of their cases, usually thanks to plea deals. Tsarnaev has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
When told of the death penalty plan, Tsarnaev's mother, Zubeidat Tsarnaeva, told reporters, "How can I feel about this? I feel nothing."
No trial date has been set.
