The day after a Federal Appeals Court overturned the death sentence for convicted Boston Marathon Bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the Watertown Police Department released a statement saying its members are “disheartened” by the ruling.
The Watertown Police statement reads:
“The members of the Watertown Police Department are disheartened by the decision of the United States Federal Appeals Court to overturn the death penalty sentence of the Boston Marathon bomber. His unconscionable acts of terrorism during the 2013 Boston Marathon and subsequent days, has forever altered the lives of so many. We continue to mourn the loss of those
who died; our hearts are always with their families and the hundreds of survivors impacted by this tragic event. #watertownstrong #bostonstrong”
The First Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the sentence, and said that Judge George O’Toole didn’t do enough to make sure jurors were not tainted by pretrial publicity, according to a WBUR report. A new penalty phase will be held with a new set of jurors to decide Tsarnaev’s sentence.
Tsarnaev and his brother Tamerlan were suspects in planting two bombs near the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon, which killed three people — Martin Richard, Krystle Campbell and Lu Lingzi — and injured hundreds more. Three days later, on April 18, they killed MIT Police Officer Sean Collier.
Shortly after midnight on April 19, 2013, Watertown Police stopped the Tsarnaev’s car and a firefight ensured. Officer Joseph Reynolds stopped the car, and Sgt. John MacLellan was the second officer on the scene. Sgt. Jeff Pugliese arrived minutes later to help his colleagues. Tarmelan was fatally wounded and Dzhokhar fled in a car. Dzhokhar was caught on the evening of April 19 after he was found hiding in a boat parked next to a Franklin Street home.
Tsarnaev went to trial and in 2015 a jury convicted Dzhokhar Tsarnaev of all 30 counts against him. He received six death sentences.
Typical of certain judges to rule according to their personal opinions rather than the law.
The Feds and the judge bent over backwards to be fair to Tsarnaev. Now, years later, some judge suddenly decides the penalty phase of the trial was not fair? Who knew?
Reminds me of other judicial outrages, such as same sex marriage where the judges dreamed up the right to marry someone of your own sex whereas there is absolutely nothing in the Constitution, law, or tradition (from time immemorial) that justified such a ruling.
Same with judges who strike down Trump’s immigration orders. US law explicitly allows the president to exclude from entering the US any group of people he think is necessary.
Speaking of immigration, what was so wonderful about the Tsarnaev brothers that they should have been admitted into the US in the first place?
Oh, let me guess. The poor dears were “persecuted” in their home country and so were let into the US so they could enjoy our freedoms.
Makes you wonder what other future criminals the US is letting in.
Frankly, I think the death penalty is too easy a way out and allows him the opportunity to become a “martyr” to some sickos. This guy is quite young. The worst punishment imaginable would be life in prison at a super max with no possibility of parole. Imagine that. Lock him up and let him rot.
Damian, you may well be right.
But Tsarnaev himself obviously does not want to executed (which is why his lawyers made the appeal on his behalf). He would rather stay in prison.
In addition, we can’t know that he really would spend his life in prison.
He may get paroled.
He may become ill and released.
He could be pardoned.
His conviction could be overturned.
He could be sent back to the country he came from.
He could escape and injure or kill someone.
He could injure or kill someone in prison, including a guard.
Then what? Give him a second life sentence?