Advertisement

Jury finds Dzhokhar Tsarnaev guilty in Boston Marathon bombing trial

WATCH: Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has been found guilty on 30 charges in relation to the bombing he and his brother carried out at the Boston Marathon two years ago. Aarti Pole reports.

TORONTO – The jury has found Dzhokhar Tsarnaev guilty Wednesday on all 30 counts in the case of the Boston Marathon bombing.

The jury will now weigh the possibility of imposing the death sentence or a sentence of life in prison, as 17 of the counts carried a maximum of death.

The verdict came on the second day of jury deliberations.

Tsarnaev, 21, was found guilty of conspiring with his brother, Tamerlan, to bomb the 2013 marathon. Three people were killed and more than 260 were injured when twin pressure-cooker bombs exploded near the finish line. Tamerlan was killed in a shootout with police after the bombings.

WATCH: Boston Bombing victim speaks about guilty verdict, says “I don’t know what justice is.”

MIT campus police officer Sean Collier was later shot by Tsarnaev three days after the bombings.

Story continues below advertisement

Boston Mayor Martin Walsh said in a statement he was “thankful that this phase of trial has come to an end.”

Breaking news from Canada and around the world sent to your email, as it happens.

“I hope today’s verdict provides a small amount of closure for the survivors, and families…the incidents of those days have forever left a mark on our city,” Walsh said.

In a statement, Superintendent and Colonel of Massachusetts State Police Timothy Alben said “we hope to turn another page in the recovery and healing of our community.”

“On the occasion of today’s guilty verdict in U.S. District Court, the collective thoughts of the entire Massachusetts State Police are with the victims, survivors and families of those maimed by these cowardly acts of terrorism,” Alben said. “We are hopeful that in justice, those that have been injured may find some sense of peace.”

In this April 15, 2013, file photo, medical workers aid injured people following an explosion at the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon in Boston. Charles Krupa / The Associated Press

In the next phase of the trial, the jury will hear evidence on whether Tsarnaev should get the death penalty or life in prison.

Story continues below advertisement

The date of penalty phase has yet to be set.

On Wednesday morning, Judge George O’Toole Jr. answered two questions from the jury, asking for clarification about some legal concepts at the heart of the case, the Associated Press reported.

WATCH: Karen Brassard, who along with her husband was injured in the infamous Boston Bombing attack, says she needed to watch the whole trial as part of her healing process.

The jury asked if a conspiracy pertains to a sequence of events or if it relates to a distinct event. Jurors also asked if they had to decide whether the conspiracy resulted in all four killings and whether they had to be unanimous on each killing.

The judge told jurors they had to make unanimous findings on all four, the Associated Press reported.

Story continues below advertisement

As The Boston Globe noted, the jury took less than 12 hours to reach a verdict on 30 counts, which more than half carry a possibility of the death penalty.

with files from the Associated Press

Sponsored content

AdChoices