Boston Bombing Penalty Phase Live Blog
A Boston jury has found Dzhkohar Tsarnaev guilty on all 30 counts related to the deadly 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, meaning Tsarnaev could face the death penalty. Follow ABC News station WCVB's live blog for the latest news.
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Def atty Miriam Conrad is up arguing about images/video from Boylston street. Judge says he has not viewed yet. Conrad is now talking about autopsy photos of bombing victims. "largely full body images of the naked bodies of the victims. they are horrific, they are disturbing" and do not address any disputed facts. their admission makes it more likely at some point the public will view.
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Prosecutors say every autopsy photo is disturbing. The govt has a burden of proof that a weapon of mass destruction caused these injuries. there are gaping wounds, shrapnel, burns. "that's important b/c we are going to show both the cause and manner of death." prosecutors say they will limit photos and private images. to extent it's upsetting to victims, they are upset their loved ones died. they know these images may be shown and are imp to the gov'ts case, prosecutor argues.
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Tsarnaev defense files 4th change of venue motion. Includes pic of Boston Strong cement mixer outside ct. #wcvb http://pbs.twimg.com/media/B_ICgcaWkAAcMCN.jpg
by Kelley Tuthill via twitter 3/2/2015 10:24:28 PM -
#wcvb legal analyst @marthacoakley says latest Tsarnaev change of venue filing is largely procedural. Preserving rights for appeal.by Kelley Tuthill via twitter 3/2/2015 10:31:36 PM
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We are still waiting for the 75 prospective jurors to enter Courtroom 9 for the final stage of jury selection.
Yesterday, the defense team filed its fourth request to move U.S. v. Tsarnaev out of Boston.
In it, the defense team raised more concerns about whether the federal court in South Boston can actually seat a fair and impartial jury for this trial.
They allege:
* 42 or 56% identified a personal connection to the people, places or events in this case
* 23 or 31% wrote in their questionnaires that they already believe Tsarnaev is guilty --- and one wrote he would not be able to set aside that opinion as a juror
The prosecution argues that the defense is improperly characterizing donations to the One Fund or receiving "Boston Strong" gifts as signs that jurors can't be fair and impartial. -
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In its filing yesterday, the defense added:
"The security measures taken in connection with the trial of this case provide additional reminders of the community impact of he Marathon bombings that will have unique impact on jurors who lived through those events."
The streets surrounding the federal courthouse have been closed to traffic since late January. -
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Here's how Jane Flavell Collins sketched Tsarnaev at the start of voir dire on January 15th.
During that process, jurors entered the courtroom one by one for questioning by the judge and attorneys.
Tsarnaev sat with his defense team -- almost always next to public defender Miriam Conrad -- about five chairs away from the juror's seat.
It was hard to know how many jurors realized how close they were to the defendant. Tsarnaev spent a lot of time slouched in his chair, quietly thumbing through folders, stroking his thin beard, etc. -
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Again the scene is very quiet in courtroom 9. defense team huddled on one side. prosecutors on the other. they face a full courtroom of 64 potential jurors. they huddle over paperwork. occasionally talk to the other side. then hand forms to judge's clerk.
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At the prosecution table right now: Steve Mellin, Bill Weinreb, Aloke Chakravarty and Nadine Pellegrini.
Chakravarty is pictured above.
According to his bio, Chakravarty previously served as a prosecutor for the Middlesex District Attorney's Office, the Mass Attorney General's Office, and the United Nations. He also served in Washington, D.C., as assistant general counsel for the FBI.
He graduated from Johns Hopkins University and Emory Law School. -
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At the defense table: Miriam Conrad, Judy Clarke and David Bruck.
Clarke is pictured above.
She is a familiar face at death penalty trials.
She previously represented Arizona shooter Jared Loughner, Ted Kaczynski the Unabomber, Atlanta Olympics bomber Eric Rudolph, and South Carolina mom and murderer Susan Smith.
In each case, the defendants were found guilty but escaped the death penalty.
Clarke graduated from Furman University and received her law degree from the University of South Carolina. -
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