U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. today authorized the pursuit of the death penalty in the case of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Tsarnaev is accused of detonating two bombs near the finish line of the Boston Marathon last April alongside his brother, Tamerlan, who was killed in a firefight with police the Friday after the bombing.
“After consideration of the relevant facts, the applicable regulations and the submissions made by the defendant’s counsel, I have determined that the United States will seek the death penalty in this matter,” Holder said in a statement.
The bombing at the Boston Marathon, which injured over 260 and killed three, left the greater Boston community reeling until Tsarnaev’s capture four days later in Watertown.
Mayor Martin J. Walsh, WCAS ’09, released a statement regarding the attorney general’s decision. He extended his prayers to the families of those who lost their lives to the events surrounding the Marathon. Krystle Campbell, 29; Lingzi Lu, 23; and Martin Richard, 8, were killed by the explosions. Sean Collier, an MIT police officer, was allegedly murdered by the Tsarnaev brothers as they tried to flee.
“We stand together as One Boston in the face of evil and hatred,” Walsh said. “Attorney General Holder applied the law in this case, and I support the process that brought him to this decision.”
