It's been nearly two years since the Boston Marathon bombing. Now, the defense lawyers admit that the accused 21-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was responsible for the act.
In one of the biggest trials in the U.S. pertaining to terrorism, on Wednesday, Mar. 4, Tsarnaev's lawyer Judy Clarke admitted to the jury that her client was responsible for carrying out the Boston Marathon bombing.
"It was him," said Clarke to the jury.
On April 15, 2013, over 260 people were hurt and three died when two crude pressure-cooker bombs exploded close to the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Tsarnaev, along with his brother Tamerlan, who died in a shootout days later, is accused of committing the attacks.
In a strategic maneuver designed to save Tsarnaev from the looming death sentence, Clarke contended that the accused acted under the influence of elder brother Tamerlan.
"The evidence will not establish and we will not argue that Tamerlan put a gun to Dzhokhar's head or that he forced him to join in the plan," said Clarke, "but you will hear evidence about the kind of influence that this older brother had."
As the trial continued, several victims of the attack and prosecutors watched on. According to the prosecutors, both the accused were ethnic Chechens, and it was possibly their anger over wars waged by the U.S. in Islamic countries that propelled the attack.
The prosecution showed chilling videos of the bombing, supported by statements from the victims painting a ghastly picture of Tsarnaev as a heartless killer with murder on his mind.
According to William Weinreb, a federal prosecutor, Tsarnaev intentionally planted the bomb that was made to "tear people apart and create a bloody spectacle." After the attack, a remorseless Tsarnaev hung out merrily with his friends.
Weinreb averred that Tsarnaev abided by the belief that he was "a soldier in a holy war against Americans." Moreover, based on the prosecution, a deluded Tsarnaev believed that he was closer to paradise because of his action. These were the underlying motives of the accused for carrying out the act of terror.
Tsarnaev did not show any reaction to the prosecution during the hearing. Owing to incriminating evidence against him, which include a video of him leaving a backpack, legal experts are of the opinion that chances of him escaping the death sentence are little.
Photo: Rebecca Hildreth | Flickr
