Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev faced federal charges for the Marathon bombings and related crimes, with his defense emphasizing his older brother's influence while acknowledging his involvement. The jury convicted him on all 30 counts and selected death on six capital counts; Judge O'Toole subsequently imposed those death sentences.
DefendantDefense
Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev
Defendant in the federal Boston Marathon bombing prosecution.
Appeared2015 Federal Trial
1 line·241 proceedings·240 mentions
About
Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev faced 30 federal counts arising from the Boston Marathon bombings, the killing of MIT police officer Sean Collier, a carjacking and robbery, and the confrontation in Watertown. The government presented him and his older brother, Tamerlan, as knowing participants in a coordinated attack. His defense acknowledged his involvement while disputing his motives and relative responsibility, portraying Tamerlan as the planner and leader whom he followed.
The brothers' relationship became an issue in determining what evidence the jury could hear about Tsarnaev's role. Defense counsel David Bruck argued that the conspiracy charges and the prosecution's motive evidence entitled the defense to respond with evidence of the older brother's influence, without presenting the full mitigation case during the guilt phase. In a later dispute over FBI report readings, the court excluded hearsay and opinion passages, including a characterization of Tsarnaev as like a little boy. It allowed Dolakov's observation that Tsarnaev did not really speak around Tamerlan because the report disclosed that Dolakov had seen him only once. The broader dispute over evidence of contemporaneous radicalization remained for separate consideration.
On Day 45, the jury found Tsarnaev guilty on all 30 counts. Judge O'Toole announced a penalty phase because the convictions included capital offenses; that announcement did not itself select a punishment. On Day 65, the jury unanimously selected death on six capital counts. At the defense's request, all 12 jurors individually confirmed that verdict.
During his sentencing allocution on Day 67, Tsarnaev admitted committing the bombing with his brother and apologized to victims and survivors for the lives taken, suffering, and irreparable damage. He said he had listened to their accounts of hardship. The court then imposed death sentences on Counts 4, 5, 9, 10, 14 and 15, together with life sentences and fixed prison terms on other counts.
Trial Record (241)
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