The Prosecution Rests -- 3/30/2015
The prosecution rested yesterday after presenting over 90 witnesses in 15 days. Witnesses included victims, victims' family members, police, EMTs, FBI, and others.

The jury cried while the final prosecution witness, Chief Medical Examiner Henry Nields, testified about the bombing's youngest victim, 8-year-old Martin Richard.


Martin Richard ^ was 4 ft. 5 in. tall and just under 70 lbs. when he was killed in the Boston Marathon attacks on April 15, 2013.

The jury heard how the entire length of his small body was blasted with small nails, tiny pieces of black plastic, round metal pellets, small fragments of wood, segments of black plastic, and metal pieces of the bomb allegedly detonated by Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in front of the Forum restaurant.


The Defense Rests 3/31/15


^ Tamarlan (dark cap) and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (defendant, white cap) at the 2013 Boston Marathon

The Defense case lasted only 6 hours. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev did not testify in his own defense.

Four witnesses were called -- each testified about Dzhokhar's older brother Tamarlan's involvement -- his fingerprints, computer searches, al-Qaeda "Inspire" magazine, purchase of pressure cookers, etc.

The Defense does not deny Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's guilt, they instead claim that he committed the terror crimes under the influence of his older brother Tamarlan at a time when Dzhokhar was flunking out of college, had lost his financial assistance, and his parents had gone back to Russia.

The defendant showed little emotion during the trial.


What's Next?
Closing arguments are set for Monday, April 6^th.

The jury will then be read instructions and deliberate to determine the defendant's guilt or innocence on each of the 30 charges.

17 of the charges are punishable by the death penalty.

The same jury will decide whether Tsarnaev is sentenced to life in prison without parole or death row; those are the only two sentences available.

Refs:
http://news.yahoo.com/no-more-defense-wi...34473.html
http://abcnews.go.com/US/final-intense-t...d=30010253

I think someone is going to be getting a lethal injection.

Good riddance.

(03-31-2015, 07:45 PM)Jimbone Wrote: I think someone is going to be getting a lethal injection.

Good riddance.

Mass will keep him alive and liberals will whine about how he has changed in 10-15 yrs. I've always been a fan of hanging like Saddam though. It's quick, painless and inexpensive. Sometimes reality and guilt is better off quenched. Finish..........like they say in Korea.

(03-31-2015, 08:10 PM)Maggot Wrote: Mass will keep him alive and liberals will whine about how he has changed in 10-15 yrs. I've always been a fan of hanging like Saddam though. It's quick, painless and inexpensive. Sometimes reality and guilt is better off quenched. Finish..........like they say in Korea.

I really hope you aren't right... but then again, Bradley Manning is about to get a sex change courtesy of the government so we live in interesting times.

My hope is Bostonians remember the horror of those several days and make what I believe to be the right decision.

On another note, did you see Utah is bringing back firing squads?

A MATTER OF LIFE OR DEATH

Closing arguments take place tomorrow in a Boston courtroom.

After which Dzhokhar Tsarnaev will be found guilty of most, if not all, of the charges he faces. The evidence is overwhelming.

But, will he be sentenced to life or death? That's the question.


I respect and admire his sentencing defense attorney, ^ Judy Clarke. She's a smart, low-key superstar and she doesn't lose. She's saved the asses of child killer Susan Smith, Ted Kaczynski -- the so-called Unabomber, Jared Loughner -- Gabby Gifford's shooter, etc...

I think Ms. Judy is gonna lose this time around and her client will be sentenced to death after his conviction.

BUT, that's just my guess and it's far from a given. If anybody can spare him from the death penalty, it's Judy Clarke. She will position Dzhokhar as a confused impressionable young college student who was dominated by his jihadist older brother.

Does Mass even have a death penalty?

(04-06-2015, 11:04 AM)Maggot Wrote: Does Mass even have a death penalty?

No.

But, the Feds are trying Tsarnaev, not the State.

The Feds want him on death row. I don't blame them.

I believe they will have no problem sending him to death row. Not only did the victims testimony have a big impact but the pictures of the dead weighed heavily on the jurors. They were horrified and some were reduced to tears particularly during the medical examiners testimony. It was very difficult for them to hear AND see the pix. That mutha is going down.

The verdict is in. We'll be hearing it shortly.

Guilty on the first 5 so far... all death penalty eligible.

ETA now up to guilty on 20 counts.

No surprise, guilty on all counts. Onto the sentencing phase...

Looks like since no cameras in the courtroom, reporters were texting and tweeting the verdicts.

What a waste of taxpayer's money, too bad that cop who shot that SOB during their shoot out wasn't a more deadlier shot!

(04-06-2015, 01:26 PM)Duchess Wrote:

I believe they will have no problem sending him to death row. Not only did the victims testimony have a big impact but the pictures of the dead weighed heavily on the jurors. They were horrified and some were reduced to tears particularly during the medical examiners testimony. It was very difficult for them to hear AND see the pix. That mutha is going down.

I don't know. It only takes one staunch person to send him to jail for life. I think, out of twelve people, it's difficult to get a consensus on the death penalty. Witness Casey Anthony.

We'll see.

He will die either way.

I still believe they will send him to death row and they will do it in record time.

(04-08-2015, 04:11 PM)Duchess Wrote:

I still believe they will send him to death row and they will do it in record time.

Where he will sit for 10 + years while appeals go through courts

(04-08-2015, 05:10 PM)QueenBee Wrote: Where he will sit for 10 + years while appeals go through courts

We have to accept that as being part of our system. It's sucky but that's the way it is. That sumbitch Scott Peterson is still breathing.

Massachusetts is to blind to give him the death penalty.

(04-08-2015, 04:11 PM)Duchess Wrote: I still believe they will send him to death row and they will do it in record time.

Yeah, I think a death penalty verdict will be delivered within the next couple of court days. It took much longer to qualify a death-penalty jury than it did to try Tsarnaev in Federal court.

Casey Anthony isn't an apples to apples comparison -- she wasn't even convicted, so there was no death penalty deliberation. Jodi Arias isn't really a fair comparison either, she claimed and produced evidence (falsely, IMO) that her victim had victimized her and the jury had to consider those mitigating factors.

Tsarnaev's case is closer to that of Timothy McVeigh, in my opinion -- slaughtering/maiming a bunch of vulnerable unsuspecting civilian strangers to make a political statement and gain glory for themselves. Terrorism.

I don't think the Defense's claim that Dzhokhar was forced or brainwashed into those criminal actions by his older brother was proven (or convincing, at all).


Tsarnaev's lovely mother ^ contends that the guilty verdicts against her son should be levied against America, that America is the real terrorist and everybody knows it. She says her "precious boy" is the best of the best. Sounds like she's proud of her sons' terrorists acts; not surprising she was on the terrorist watch list for years before the Boston bombing.
Source: http://www.vocativ.com/world/russia/tsar...-the-best/

(04-09-2015, 11:13 AM)HairOfTheDog Wrote:

(04-08-2015, 04:11 PM)Duchess Wrote: I still believe they will send him to death row and they will do it in record time.

Yeah, I think a death penalty verdict will be delivered within the next couple of court days. It took much longer to qualify a death-penalty jury than it did for to try Tsarnaev in Federal court.

Casey Anthony isn't an apples to apples comparison -- she wasn't even convicted, so there was no death penalty deliberation. Jodi Arias isn't really a fair comparison either, she claimed and produced evidence (falsely, IMO) that her victim had victimized her and the jury had to consider those mitigating factors.

Tsarnaev's case is closer to that of Timothy McVeigh, in my opinion -- slaughtering/maiming a bunch of vulnerable unsuspecting civilian strangers to make a political statement and gain glory for themselves. Terrorism.

I don't think the Defense's claim that Dzhokhar was forced or brainwashed into those criminal actions by his older brother was proven (or convincing, at all).


Tsarnaev's lovely mother ^ contends that the guilty verdicts against her son should be levied against America, that America is the real terrorist and everybody knows it. She says her "precious boy" is the best of the best. Sounds like she's proud of her sons' terrorists acts; not surprising she was on the terrorist watch list for years before the Boston bombing.
Source: http://www.vocativ.com/world/russia/tsar...-the-best/

Anthony/Arias...I got my bitches mixed up. I meant Arias as an example.

The jury hasn't even really HEARD what the defense will put forth in the penalty phase.

"Jurors will be asked to weigh aggravating factors such as the heinousness of his crimes against mitigating factors such as his family and mental health history, as well as his relative youth. Tsarnaev was 19 at the time of the bombing".

His age at the time, his brother's supposed influence over him and indications that he (the older brother) was the one who actually bought and assembled the bombs...? I think that could give a juror or two pause.

Or not. I don't know how this will turn out. The jurors were supposedly pre-qualified or something for the death penalty so I gather they're not supposed to have some rigid, moral opposition to it.