Tsarnaev Trial

On April 15, 2013, two explosions rocked the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three people and injuring more than 200 others. After an extensive investigation and manhunt, suspects Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev were tracked through the Boston area, killing a police officer. Tamerlan was killed by police on April 18, and the following day his younger brother Dzhokhar was captured by the police following a stand-off.

Facts Regarding the Trial

• The Dzhokhar Tsarnaev trial began on January 5, 2014.
• The defense tried to claim that the case's notoriety prevented an impartial jury, but the Tsarnaev trail proceeded with jury selection.
• The final jury was chosen by March 3, 2015, with proceedings opening on March 4, 2015 in the federal court of Boston.
• Assistant U.S. Attorney William Weinreb was in charge of the prosecution.

Tsarnaev's defense attorney, Judy Clarke, attempted to argue that Dzhokhar was an unwitting accomplice of his older brother. The Tsarnaev trial revolved around the radicalization of the brothers within their Islamic religion. Closing statements were given on April 6. Two days later, the Tsarnaev trial resulted in the verdict of guilty on all thirty counts. It took nearly half an hour for the full verdict to be read in open court, covering convictions for conspiracy, bombing, murder, and weapons charges. Sentencing began on April 21, 2015, with the judge returning a sentence of death by lethal injection on May 15.