The Death Penalty May Be Reinstated Against the Boston Marathon Bomber
U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins said Monday that, if instructed by Attorney General Merrick Garland, she would attempt to reinstate the death penalty against convicted Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.
The Supreme Court is weighing whether the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston in 2020 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 appeals court ruled the trial judge improperly excluded evidence that could have shown Tsarnaev was deeply influenced by his older brother, Tamerlan, and was 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.