Only jurors who were open to the death penalty were chosen for the Tsarnaev trial
On Friday, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was sentenced to the death penalty for his role in the Boston Marathon bombing. It's a verdict that left many Bostonians surprised; though 60 percent of Americans said they supported the death sentence of Tsarnaev, a Boston Globe polled showed that just 15 percent of native Bostonians did, citing concerns that ranged from the possibility of Tsarnaev being treated as a martyr to the idea that the death sentence is a greater punishment for a 21-year-old.
What's the explanation? The New York Times turned up an interesting detail: Only jurors who were "death qualified" — that is, open to the death penalty — were considered for the Tsarnaev trial. Anyone who expressed opposition to the death penalty was disqualified.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
