A courtroom sketch showing Dzhokhar Tsarnaev at a pre-trial hearing. Yahoo/Reuters Jane Collins.
Jury selection begins today in the trial of accused Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Yahoo News. Tsarnaev, along with his deceased older brother Tamerlan Tsarnaev, stand accused of planting a bomb at the 2013 marathon, killing 3 people and wounding 300. Tsarnaev was also charged with the murder of a MIT police officer killed while the two brothers were on the run. The case will come down to how involved in the plot Dzhokhar was. The defense will likely argue that he was a secondary player, pressured into terrorism by his older brother, Tamerlan. Prosecutors are sure to argue that he was a cold blooded terrorist. The evidence against Dzhokhar seems air tight, with forensic and video of the brothers placing one of the bombs. The trial is more about trying to stop the execution of Tsarnaev then his actual guilt or innocence. The defense had tried to reach a plea bargain to avoid the death penalty but the prosecution refused to budge.
My Comment:
This should be an interesting trial. There seems to be little doubt about the guilt of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, his legion of very misguided fangirls not withstanding, but there is some question if he deserves the death penalty. I am no fan of the death penalty, but if there ever was a case where someone deserved it, it is this one. To me the argument that Dzhokhar was under the influence of his older brother is irrelevant. After all there is a good chance that Dzhokhar actually killed his brother, by mistake of course, while he was trying to flee the police. From what I understand Tamerlan was both shot and run over so at the very least Dzhokhar hurt him while fleeing. Either way though, setting a bomb off in a crowded area and then killing a cop are pretty high on my list of unforgivable acts.
As for the bombing itself, the whole situation was surreal back in 2013. The bombing itself was terrible, but the ensuing manhunt was disturbing. Two terrorists were able to shut down an entire American city. And that is not an exaggeration, people weren't able to leave their houses until shortly before they were caught. I though the whole reaction was over the top, especially since Tsarnaev was only found after the ban on movement was lifted. Sure, he was a dangerous terrorist, but the pictures of cops driving around in APC's in full military gear pointing guns at civilians didn't sit well with me. Back then that was a minority opinion but I wonder if things aren't changing...
I'll keep track of this trial as it goes on and I might post something if something major is revealed. When the verdict comes in, expect me to post about it.
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