Dzhokhar Tsarnaev weeps in court while his family testifies on his behalf
As his relatives spoke on his behalf during the penalty phase of his trial Monday, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev began to weep, one of the few times he has shown emotion while in court.
Tsarnaev was found guilty last month of all 30 charges against him in connection with the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. Now, during the penalty phase, his relatives shared stories and anecdotes about the young man that many haven't seen since his family left Russia in 2002, The New York Times reports. Cousin Nabisat Suleimanova said through a translator people "wanted to hug him and not let him go," while aunt Shakhruzat Suleimanova said he and his older brother, Tamerlan, who was killed in a shootout after the bombing, were "so good, they wouldn't hurt a fly."
The defense wants Tsarnaev to receive life in prison without parole, while the prosecution is arguing for the death penalty, saying he has shown no remorse for his actions. In addition to his family taking the stand, last week, former teachers spoke in his favor, saying he was "kind," "smart," and "loved by all." "I still love him," Becki Norris wrote on Facebook, despite the fact he did "unfathomably horrible things."
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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