Marathon Bomber's Death Sentence May Be Reimposed: Patch PM

MASSACHUSETTS — It's Wednesday, Oct. 13. Here's what you should know this afternoon:

• Today is the last day to register to vote in Nov. 2 municipal elections in Massachusetts.
• A Massachusetts man was arrested and held on preventative detention on Tuesday after a two-state police chase.
• A Worcester school committee candidate is accused of making anti-gay comments and expressed enthusiasm for debunked COVID-19 treatments, prompting calls for her to apologize to the city's LGBTQ community.

Scroll down for more on those and other stories Patch has been covering in Massachusetts today.

Today's Top Story

The Supreme Court sounded ready Wednesday to reinstate the death penalty for convicted Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

In more than 90 minutes of arguments, the court's six conservative justices seemed likely to embrace the Biden administration's argument that a federal appeals court mistakenly threw out Tsarnaev's death sentence for his role in the bombing that killed three people near the finish line of the marathon in 2013.

The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston ruled last year that the trial judge improperly excluded evidence that could have shown Tsarnaev was deeply influenced by his older brother, Tamerlan, and was somehow less responsible for the carnage. The appeals court also faulted the judge for not sufficiently questioning jurors about their exposure to extensive news coverage of the bombing.

The court's three liberal justices appeared more favorable to Tsarnaev. If the appellate ruling were affirmed, Tsarnaev would have to face a new sentencing trial if the administration decided to continue pressing for a death sentence.

Read the full story.

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Wednesday's Other Top Stories

Voter registration deadline: Today is the last day to register to vote in Nov. 2 municipal elections in Massachusetts. Several Massachusetts cities are holding elections for mayor, city council, school committee and other elected positions. If you want to vote in 2021 municipal elections, you have until 11:59 p.m. tonight to register.

Worcester school committee candidate faces backlash over anti-LGBTQ comments: Shanel Soucy is reported to have made anti-gay comments and expressed enthusiasm for debunked COVID-19 treatments, prompting calls for her to apologize to the city's LGBTQ community. Screenshots of comments attributed to candidate Shanel Soucy on her personal Facebook page have been circulating on social media since early September. Most attention has been focused on a comment on which Soucy says she does not support "homosexual behavior" and ponders whether gay people are influenced by "demonic" forces. During a brief interview on Tuesday, Soucy said she does respect the LGBTQ community, and that the "falsified" screenshots are being circulated by a "hate group" that doesn't like her opposition to Worcester's new sex education curriculum.

Cambridge man arrested after two-state police chase: A Massachusetts man was arrested and held on preventative detention on Tuesday after a two-state police chase. Around 9:30 p.m., New Hampshire State Police received a report about a 2014 Nissan Pathfinder that fled from police after a speeding violation in Newton. The SUV then crossed over the border into Amesbury, MA. Mass. State Police, as well as local police, became involved in the chase, according to state police. At just before 10 p.m., the Nissan crossed back over the border into New Hampshire, on Interstate 95 north, and state police learned that the SUV was stolen out of Cambridge, MA.

Market Basket robbery in Woburn: Woburn police are searching for a man in connection with an armed robbery at the Mishawum Road Market Basket. Police told CBS Boston that the man pulled a gun from his waistband, pointed it at an employee, took some money and ran.

They Said It

"I am certainly not immune to putting my own life under the microscope and examining what I want my path to be as I look ahead. So it is with great emotion that, while I will always be an extremely proud Clipper, I have submitted my resignation as principal of Falmouth High School."

• Falmouth High School Principal Mary Gans in a statement. Gans will step down on Jan. 3.

In Case You Missed It

Vaccinations for kids under 12 could come within a month: A White House official told NBC News the Biden administration told governors to prepare vaccination efforts for children between 5-11 by early November. For Massachusetts, that could mean the potential for hundreds of elementary schools becoming eligible to drop mask requirements. The state allows for individual schools to lift indoor mask mandates if at least 80 percent of students and staff are vaccinated against COVID-19.

Previously on Patch: Survey Suggest Most MA Parents Will Vaccinate Younger Kids After FDA OK