Boston Marathon Decides Jury

Ryan Shirley, Staff Writer

Jury for the Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has been finalized after two months of jury selection

“The prosecution got exactly what they wanted,” CNN legal analyst Mark Geragos said .

Of the 18 jurors all except one are white and middle aged, which tend to be more likely to support death penalty verdicts according to Geragos

When the jurors were questioned in a preliminary survey about the guilt of the defendant all said he was either guilty or they were unsure, no one said he was innocent. However once the trial starts they are all supposed to go in unbiased as juror 487 puts it “Tsarnaev obviously played a role in it but I understand you are not proven until guilty.”

Of the 30 counts Tsarnaev is being charged for, 17 are liable for the death penalty; therefore if he is found guilty on any of those 17 charges, then the jury must also decide if he will face capital punishment or life without parole.

Geragos also said that the case will mostly be about the punishment Tsarnaev will face not whether he is guilty or not as the evidence against him is too strong to acquit him .

While the death penalty has been abolished in massachusetts for over three decades it will be an option as this case is being prosecuted in federal court.