News

What The Boston Courtroom Looked Like

by Zoe Ferguson

After a day and a half of deliberations, a jury found Dzhokhar Tsarnaev guilty of all 30 charges filed against him in the Boston Marathon bombing that left four dead, including an 8-year-old boy, and 264 wounded. Tsarnaev was convicted of criminal charges in four categories: the bombing itself, the conspiracy, the fatal shooting of an MIT security officer, and everything that happened after the shooting. The charges covered everything from carjacking to robbery to murder, and 17 of them carry a potential death sentence.

Now that Tsarnaev has been found guilty, the second phase of the trial can commence: the sentencing phase. Tsarnaev will either be sentenced to life in prison without parole, or the death penalty — there are no other options.

There have been no photos of Tsarnaev since the trial began, but there have been a slew of courtroom sketches of the trial posted on Twitter. Numerous artists have tried their hand at capturing a quick scene that might show millions of people — who were following the story from home, rather than the packed courtroom — what the trial looked like for the sole living perpetrator of the first domestic terror attack since Sept. 11. Naturally, people are curious about the scene in the courtroom, especially the emotional reactions (or lack thereof) of the defendant. By all accounts, Tsarnaev has been mostly stoic throughout the reading of his verdict.

Here's a breakdown of what we know so far from the courtroom sketches of Tsarnaev's trial.

The Judge and Jury

The jury deliberated for only 11 hours total before returning a verdict of guilty on all counts.

The Audience

Survivors and witnesses to the attack sat in the audience, waiting for Tsarnaev's verdict.

The Prosecution

Prosecutors showed graphic images of the bombing's victims, as well as Tsarnaev's bloodied manifesto — written as he was on the run from police — as testimony that he was guilty of the 30 charges leveled against him.

The Defense

Defense attorneys have focused on making Tsarnaev seem less culpable of the crime, acknowledging that while he did participate, he was persuaded by his brother. His lawyers hoped to avoid the death penalty. The sentencing phase will begin April 13.

The Witnesses

Police officers testified at Tsarnaev's trial, as did the victims of the carjacking that followed the MIT officer's murder.

Tsarnaev's Reactions

Many people in the courtroom tweeted throughout the guilty verdict that Tsarnaev showed no emotional reaction as the jury slowly read through the convictions for all 30 charges. According to The Associated Press, he "kept his hands folded and looked down at the defense table as he listened to the verdict." One reporter tweeted that he "scratched his nose, rubbed his head, but no visible reaction to guilty on all counts."