Tsarnaev found guilty in Boston Bombing trial, eligible for death penalty

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev



BOSTON — A jury has found 21-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev guilty in the Boston bombing that killed three people and injured more than 260 people on April 15, 2013.

The judge went through the verdict count-by-count Wednesday. He was found guilty of conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction, making him eligible for the death penalty.

The jury was asked to decide 30 charges against Tsarnaev, including using a weapon of mass destruction.



The jury will now move to the sentencing of Tsarnaev, deciding whether or not he should receive the death penalty or spend the rest of his life in prison. That decision will take place in the coming weeks.

The verdict was reached Wednesday afternoon after a little over 12 hours of deliberations over two days in the trial. Tsarnaev's lawyers admitted he participated in the bombings, but said his now-dead older brother was the driving force behind the 2013 deadly attack.

Convicted Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev stood with his head bowed and his hands clasped as the verdicts were read.



Jurors in the trial of accused Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev asked the judge two questions Wednesday, looking for guidance on key decisions in the case.

The jury asked whether a conspiracy can pertain to either a sequence of events or a single event.

"Conspiracy is an agreement between two people to commit unlawful acts," U.S. District Judge George O'Toole replied. "The scope of a conspiracy and the duration of a conspiracy are questions of fact for you to determine."

The second question was about the difference between aiding and abetting. The judge said aiding and abetting is a single concept, and that to aid and abet is to help someone intentionally commit a criminal offense.

The jury resumed deliberations Wednesday morning after seven hours of deliberations Tuesday, which followed weeks of dramatic and emotionally wrenching testimony.

This story is breaking and will be updated as more information becomes available.