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BOSTON—Nearly two years after two pressure-cooker bombs ripped through a crowd of unsuspecting spectators near the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon, a federal jury found Dzhokhar Tsarnaev guilty on all 30 counts for his role in the deadly attacks, which killed three and injured nearly 300.

"We unanimously find the defendent Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev guilty," the court clerk said, again and again.

Tsarnaev, 21, offered no visible reaction to the charges, which were announced in a courtroom packed full of victims and survivors.

The decision came a day and a half after seven women and five men began deliberations in the first phase of the trial and after 17 days of emotional and often gruesome testimony and evidence in the case. Jurors repeatedly saw horrific photos and videos of the bloody aftermath of the bombs. They also heard heart-wrenching testimony from survivors, including the father of the youngest victim of the attacks—8-year-old Martin Richard--whose body was literally blown apart by the second bomb.

Federal prosecutors painted Tsarnaev as a heartless killer who conspired with his older brother, Tamerlan, to maim and kill Americans in retaliation for the country's wars on Muslim countries overseas. "This was a cold, calculated terrorist act. This was intentional. It was bloodthirsty. It was to make a point," government prosecutor Aloke Chakravarty told jurors Monday. "It was to tell America that ‘We will not be terrorized by you anymore. We will terrorize you.'"
Tsarnaev faced 30 charges for his role in the bombings, the deadliest act of terrorism on American soil since September 11, 2001. He was also charged with shooting and killing Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer Sean Collier days after the attacks and hours after the FBI released photos of him and his brother identifying them as suspects in the bombings. Though prosecutors acknowledged they were unsure which brother pulled the trigger, both were "equally guilty" of Collier's murder.

The verdict in the case wasn’t surprising. Judy Clarke, Tsarnaev’s attorney, admitted her client’s role in the attacks on day one of the trial, which began March 5, and reiterated it during closing arguments this week. “There is no excuse. No one is trying to make one,” Clarke told jurors Monday, calling the attack “inexcusable” and “senseless.”

But she cast Tsarnaev, now 21, as a troubled teenager who came under the sway of his radicalized older brother, whom the defense painted as the ringleader of the plot. They have argued Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who was killed during a shootout with police days after the bombings, plotted the attack and built the bombs—and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev merely followed.

“We don’t deny that Dzhokhar fully participated in the events,” Clarke said. “But, if not for Tamerlan, it wouldn’t have happened.”

Yet Judge George O’Toole limited how much the defense could talk about Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s influence on his brother during the guilt phase of the trial. While the government put 92 witnesses on the stand over 16 days, Tsarnaev’s defense rested after just four witnesses over a day and a half in court. Clarke told jurors the defense would lay out more of their case in the penalty phase—when they determine whether the 21-year-old college student receives life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty for his role in the attacks.

Though the penalty portion of the case has long been expected to be more drawn out than the guilt phase, it’s unclear how long the defense’s case might be or who they plan to put on the stand to explain what pushed their client into terrorism. It’s also not clear how much the defense will be able to delve into the role of Tamerlan Tsarnaev and the troubled history of the Tsarnaev family, which had been believed to be the focus of their case.

A courthouse source told Yahoo News that wrangling continues between the government and defense over proposed witnesses in the penalty phase. The defense has long sought to explore Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s possible link to a 2011 triple murder in Waltham, Mass .—but the government has argued, and the judge has so far agreed, the subject is irrelevant.

It’s also a mystery who might testify on behalf of the defendant to ask that his life be spared. The witness list in the trial remains under seal, and many former friends and associates of Tsarnaev, who have publicly spoken of their shock at his involvement in the plot, have declined to say anything further about the teenager they knew. Asked if they’ve been summoned by the defense to testify, many associates contacted by Yahoo News refused to comment.

It’s also not clear if any members of the Tsarnaev family will testify. Since the trial began, not a single member of the Tsarnaev family has been seen at the courthouse—including Tsarnaev’s parents, who live in Dagestan, and his sisters, who live in New Jersey. Last summer, Tsarnaev’s sister, Ailina, told reporters her brothers had been “framed.” Tsarnaev’s uncles, who live in Maryland, also have not been seen in court and did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

The same 12 jurors who decided on Tsarnaev’s guilt will now decide whether he lives or dies for his role in in the attacks. That’s expected to be the trickier dilemma for the jury. Though all jurors agreed they could consider capital punishment for Tsarnaev, many people in Massachusetts oppose the death penalty for moral and religious reasons. It was declared unconstitutional on the state level in 1982, and though many in Boston are still recovering from the trauma of the attacks, which paralyzed the city for days, residents have mixed feelings about what should happen to Tsarnaev.

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Do you think he was guilty?
Do you agree with the verdict?
Do you think he should receive the death penalty or life in prison?

Deb, I asked for opinions to his guilt because some people believe that the bombings were just a conspiracy theory, if he was innocent then his defense obviously knew how the trial would go, so the plan would be to admit guilt and try to get the easiest sentence possible for him. I'm not saying that is my view on the situation just that it is common one out there and if anyone here thinks that something else happened just giving them the option to express their thoughts.

I honestly can't say that he had a fair trial, personally I think that anyone being tried for terrorism should be tried by the united nations so that they have the chance to receive the fairest trial possible.

He has been found guilty, as said above I have no opinion of his innocence, all that has come to light he appears to be guilty though. As for sentencing I think that he should receive the death penalty. It is too costly to hold someone in prison for life and he is still young so the government would potentially be supporting him 100% for 70 plus years. If they have concluded that he is guilty than just put him to death. As for the means of his death I think that they should bring back the guillotine (for all forms of capital punishment not just this case)

I feel that he is guilty. I wish in a way that they would have caught his brother as well so they both could have stood trial. I do agree that he should receive the death penalty instead of life in prison. And if he does get the death penalty, I think he should be brought here to Utah to be the first one to go through the first run of the firing squad being brought back. They knew what they were doing, if their plans would have gone they way they really wanted them too, there would have been a lot more lives lost that day.

I don't understand how anyone can think that the Boston Bombings were a conspiracy theory. I think sometimes people just reach too fucking hard and pull shit out of their ass just to argue. 

Any word on sentencing?

I just google searched it and the most up to date I could find was from two days ago and it's still going on. This is a very publicly known court case so it will be everywhere when the verdict is out. I almost bet they will disrupt regular programs with the coverage of it, I'll keep you posted.

I don't know how anyone would not find him guilty though. Personally I think we should actually use the death penalty. IF there is no doubt of your guilt you should be put to death as your sentencing said. It would say tons of tax dollars.

I agree with him being guilty and I also think that he should be sentenced with the death penalty. Even then people on death row sit for years and years, i've never understood why. I do find your point about being tired by the UN instead [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]. I would have never thought about that