Boston Bomber Sentencing: Trial To Address Penalty Of Convicted Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Begins With Controversial PHOTO
The prosecution appears to seem intent on Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev being handed the death penalty, opening their arguments in the penalty phase of his trial with a shocking never-before-seen image of the convicted terrorist.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Found Guilty On All 30 Counts
The photo, which was a huge part of opening statements to a jury who will decide Tsarnaev's fate, was reportedly taken a few months following his April 2013 arrest, where he flips off cameras outside of his jail cell.
The image will likely make it more difficult for Tsarnaev's defense attorneys, who are reportedly intending to paint him as a more secondary member of plot to bomb the finish line at the 2013 Boston Marathon, which killed three and injured hundreds of others. Tsarnaev and his older brother, Tamerlan, worked together on the plot. His brother was killed a few days later as the two tried to flee the area.
The defense attorneys are expected to begin their opening arguments next week.
Tsarnaev was convicted of all 30 counts against him on April 8.
Though the prosecution is hoping to convince the jury to hand Tsarnaev a death penalty sentence, victims of the attack have spoken out against the tactic, asking instead for the 21-year-old to receive a sentence of a life in prison instead, to avoid the possibility that years of appeals could be dragged out,.
The parents of 8-year-old Martin Richard, who was killed in the attack were the first to ask the U.S. Justice Department to take the penalty off the table.
"We know that the government has its reasons for seeking the death penalty, but the continued pursuit of that punishment could bring years of appeals and prolong reliving the most painful day of our lives," Bill and Denise Richard said in a statement last week.
The sentencing also begins just one day after the second marathon to be run since the attack.