Global National Security Case Precedents: Boston Marathon bomber sentenced to death
Boston Marathon Bombing: Timeline of Events and Legal Proceedings
On April 15, 2013, the Boston Marathon bombing shook the world, killing three people, including Chinese international student Lu Lingzi, and injuring more than 260 others. The attack was carried out by two brothers: 26-year-old Tamerlan Tsarnaev and 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, both of Chechen descent. The FBI led the investigation, which identified the brothers as the perpetrators. Tamerlan was killed in a shootout with police during their escape attempt, while Dzhokhar was captured and later sentenced to death.
FBI Investigation and Arrest
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was apprehended on April 19, 2013. Initially, he was interrogated without being read his Miranda rights under the "public safety exception." The Justice Department intended to have a specialized counterterrorism team question him. On April 22, he was charged with "using and conspiring to use weapons of mass destruction resulting in death" and "malicious destruction of property resulting in death." Then-Attorney General Eric Holder stated, "We will again send a message: Those who target innocent Americans and attempt to terrorize our cities will not escape justice."
During initial questioning, Dzhokhar admitted that the bombing was motivated by extremist religious beliefs and his opposition to U.S. military actions in Afghanistan and Iraq. On July 10, he was arraigned in Boston federal court, facing 30 charges. His trial began in January 2015, when prosecutors described him as an unrepentant terrorist. His lawyers argued that his troubled upbringing influenced his actions and that his older brother, Tamerlan, was the mastermind. However, the court rejected this defense.
Death Penalty and Appeals
Although the state of Massachusetts abolished the death penalty in 1984, Dzhokhar was tried in federal court, where the death penalty was reinstated in 1988. On June 24, 2015, he was sentenced to death by a federal jury.
In July 2020, a federal appeals court overturned the death sentence, citing issues with jury impartiality. The three-judge panel unanimously ruled that some jurors had not been adequately vetted for bias, resulting in the death penalty being vacated.
In March 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s death penalty, following a request from the Justice Department to uphold the original sentence. Despite the ruling, Dzhokhar remains in the lengthy appeals process.
Presidential Decision and Current Status
In January 2025, as part of his administration’s stance on the death penalty, President Joe Biden announced the commutation of sentences for 37 death row inmates, reducing their sentences to life imprisonment. However, the commutation order notably excluded Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, one of the perpetrators of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. He remains on federal death row, awaiting further developments in his appeals.
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