Death Penalty Phase of Tsarnaev Trial to Begin on April 21

By MIKE BEDNARSKY (Patch Staff)

Photo: WHDH

After 11 hours of deliberation, the jury found Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev guilty of helping to orchestrate and carry out the blasts that killed three people and wounded another 260 people on April 15, 2013.

Tsarnaev is guilty on counts 1-30, which is all counts. Tsarnaev reportedly did not react when the 30 guilty verdicts were read.

The verdict means that the case now goes to the death penalty phase. The penalty phase will start on Tuesday, April 21.

Boston Marathon bombing survivors, including those who were in the courtroom when the verdict was read, spoke of being relieved that the verdict was guilty on all counts.

“Nothing can ever replace the lives that were lost or changed forever, but at least there is some relief in knowing that justice is served and responsibility will be taken,” said Heather Abbott, who lost a leg in the bombings.

Boston Mayor Martin Walsh announced that he is “thankful that this phase of the trial has come to an end” Wednesday afternoon.

“I hope today’s verdict provides a small amount of closure for the survivors, families and all impacted by the violent and tragic events surrounding the 2013 Boston Marathon,” he said. “The incidents of those days have forever left a mark on our city. As we remember those who lost so much, we reflect on how tragedy revealed our deepest values, and the best of who we are as a community.”

“At the scene of the Marathon bombings, I saw firsthand the aftermath of terrible suffering and the beginning of an incredibly meticulous investigation,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley. “Today’s verdicts reflect both: almost 100 separate findings by a jury that convicted on all counts. For the families of Martin Richard, Krystle Campbell, Lingzi Lu and Sean Collier, I can only hope this brings some sense of satisfaction that justice has finally been done.”

Tsarnaev and his brother, Tamerlan, placed the explosives that killed three people and injured more than 260 people on Patriots’ Day 2013.

The trial, which started on March 4 after a lengthy jury selection process, included defense attorney Judy Clarke admitting to the jury that her client was responsible for the Boston Marathon bombings. The decision was integral in the Tsarnaev team’s aim to save him from the death penalty.

>>>Click here to read a Patch recap of the trial