This is the last chance for lawyers and prosecutors to decide whether Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the Boston marathon bomber will receive life in prison or be sentenced to death for his crimes.
They will present their closing arguments in front of the jury that will make a final decision.
The jury began its deliberations on Wednesday night after hearing the closing arguments and the judge’s instructions.
During the trial of the Boston marathon bomber, which lasted for the past four months, prosecutors have referred to Tsarnaev as a “callous”, “unrepentant” terrorist who is responsible for the deadly attack along with his older brother, Talmerlan.
The prosecutors say that Tsarnaev deserves, without a doubt, the death penalty for his crimes.
However, the lawyers who have been defending Tsarnaev told the jury that, although he participated in the marathon bombings, the defendant is a “good kid” who has been influenced by his older brother to take part in the terrorist attacks.
His older brother, Tamerlan, said that the reason for the terrorist attacks was to punish the United States for its actions against the Muslim countries.
The lawyers who are defending Tsarnaev are asking the jury to give him life in prison instead of the death penalty.
The Boston marathon bomber killed three and injured more than 260 people in his terrorist attack. Two bombs exploded close to the marathon’s finish line on April 15, 2013.
Tsarnaev, age 21, was found guilty of all 30 counts against him and convicted by a federal jury in April, 2015. One of the counts for which he was found guilty was the use of weapons for mass destruction.
The jury that convicted Tsarnaev for all 30 counts against him will also decide whether the terrorist will spend his life in prison or will be given the death penalty.
Tsarnaev’s lawyers have asked the jury in their opening statement to sentence their client to life in prison, saying that it would the most appropriate sentence for someone who committed the crime when he was only 19.
Also, his lawyers added in his defense that a life sentence is more appropriate because it will also be in the best interest of the families of his victims. This way, the families will avoid being subjected to many years of appeals and attention from the media.
The lawyers of the Boston marathon bombing believe that this will certainly happen if Tsarnaev will be sentenced to death.
Image Source: ibtimes
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