Supreme Court Reimposes Death Sentence for Boston Marathon Bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev

On Friday, the Supreme Court reimposed the death sentence for Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Tsarnaev was convicted of detonating two pressure-cooker bombs near the 2013 Boston marathon finish line, killing three and injuring hundreds. 

The Supreme Court’s decision to reverse the federal appeal court ruling that voided the death sentence comes after a vote of 6-3 rejected the defense of Tsarnaev’s 2015 judge. According to NBC News, “Tsarnaev’s 2015 trail improperly restricted the questioning of prospective jurors and was wrong to exclude evidence of a separate crime two years before the bombing.” 

 Tsarnaev and his older brother, Tamerlan, were convicted of planting and detonating two pressure-cooker bombs at different spots near the marathon finish line. The terrorist attack impacted many lives as the blasts seriously injured hundreds of people and killed three people. 

Tamerlan was killed in a shootout with police four days after the bombing during the second phase of the trial that sought capital punishment of the two brothers. 

NBC News reports, “A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit ordered a new sentencing hearing, ruling unanimously that U.S. District Judge George O’Toole Jr. failed to allow enough questioning of potential jurors about how closely they followed extensive news coverage of the bombings.” 

The Supreme Court disagreed on the issue and said the trial judges should “have broad discretion in deciding what questions to ask prospective jurors.”

The appeals court also argued that the judge should have brought up Tsarnaev’s 2011 triple homicide in the Boston suburb. Though they believed his older brother, Tamerlan, influenced Tsarnaev. Therefore, Tsarnaev’s defense suggested he was less responsible for the Boston bombing because of his brother’s “mastermind.” 

Now, Tsarnaev, 28, will remain on death row at Colorado’s supermax prison.