Exactly What Was He Convicted Of?

Earlier this Wednesday, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the Boston Marathon bomber, was found guilty of all 30 charges lobbed against him in relation to the horrific 2013 crime that claimed the lives of three people and injured hundreds more. Of the 30 charges Tsarnaev has been convicted of, 17 of them carry a potential death penalty sentence. Though Tsarnaev may be sentenced as soon as next week, his legal troubles are certainly not over. The next test for Tsarnaev's legal team will be sparing his life in the face of these numerous damning convictions. They are as follows:

• Count 1: Conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction, resulting in four deaths. Three of those victims — Krystle Campbell, Lingzi Lu, and Martin Richard — died at the hands of the bombings following the race while a fourth, Officer Sean Collier, was killed in his car on the MIT campus by the Tsarnaev brothers, who were attempting to flee the area and evade authorities following the bombing. Note that this count carries a potential death penalty sentence.
• Count 2: Using a weapon of mass destruction, specifically the first pressure cooker bomb that went off near the race's finish line. This charge also relates to the death of Campbell. This count also carries a potential death penalty sentence.
• Count 3: Using the aforementioned pressure cooker bomb in a violent crime. The count also states that the bomb not only discharged but was a destructive device that killed Campbell. This count also carries a potential death penalty sentence.
• Count 4: Similar to count 2, count 4 is the use of a weapon of mass destruction, this time the second pressure cooker bomb that went off near the marathon finish line. The bomb's explosion resulted in the deaths of Lu and Richard. This count also carries a potential death penalty sentence.
• Count 5: Similar to count 3, this count concerns using that second pressure cooker bomb during a violent crime. The device was destructive, detonated, and resulted in the double murder of Lu and Richard. This count also carries a potential death sentence.

• Count 6: Conspiracy to bomb a public place, resulting in fatalities. This charge relates to the death of all three marathon bombing victims as well as Collier. This count also carries a potential death sentence.
• Count 7: This charge is another conspiracy to bomb a public place conviction specifically relating to the first pressure cooker bomb, which resulted in the death of Campbell. This count also carries a potential death sentence.
• Count 8: This charge relates to that first pressure cooker bomb and essentially confirms the use of the bomb in a public place, that it discharged, was destructive, and resulted in the death of Campbell. This count also carries a potential death penalty sentence.
• Count 9: Similar to count 7, this count relates to the second pressure cooker bomb and confirms that Tsarnaev bombed a public place with the second bomb. It also confirms it resulted in Lu and Richard's deaths. This count carries a potential death sentence.
• Count 10: Similar to count 8, this charge relates to the second pressure cooker bomb, detailing that it was used during a violent crime, that it discharged, was destructive, and resulted in the murders of Lu and Richard.

• Count 11: Conspiracy to maliciously destroy property, which resulted in the deaths of Campbell, Lu, Richard, and Collier. This charge does not carry a potential death penalty sentence.
• Count 12: Malicious destruction of property with the first pressure cooker bomb, which resulted in the injury of others and the death of Campbell. This count also carries a potential death penalty sentence.
• Count 13: Use of the first pressure cooker bomb during malicious destruction. This count details that the bomb discharged, was destructive, and resulted in the death of Campbell. This count also carries a potential death penalty sentence.
• Count 14: Similar to count 12, this count concerns the second pressure cooker bomb, detailing that device was used in the malicious destruction of property that resulted in personal injury towards others and the deaths of Lu and Richard. This count also carries a potential death penalty sentence.
• Count 15: Similar to count 13, this count concerns the second pressure cooker bomb being used for the malicious destruction of property, a violent crime that resulted in the destructive device being discharged and killing Lu and Richard. This count also carries a potential death penalty sentence.

• Count 16: Possession of a firearm, specifically a Ruger P95 5mm semiautomatic handgun, that was used as a weapon of mass destruction. The handgun discharged and resulted in the murder of Collier. This count also carries a potential death penalty sentence.
• Count 17: Use of the aforementioned handgun during and in relation to Count 6. The handgun discharged and resulted in the death of Collier. This count also carries a potential death penalty sentence.
• Count 18: Use of the Ruger handgun during or in relation to count 11, resulting in the firearm being discharged and the murder of Collier. This count also carries a potential death penalty sentence.
• Count 19: Carjacking, an offense that is not punishable by death. The carjacking resulted in the injury of Officer Richard Donahue.
• Count 20: Use of the aforementioned handgun while carjacking. The gun was brandished during the carjacking. This count does not carry a potential death penalty sentence.

• Count 21: Interference with commerce by threats or violence. This count does not carry a potential death penalty sentence. This count does not carry a potential death penalty sentence
• Count 22: This count details that the handgun was brandished during count 21 and that Tsarnaev used the firearm during the interference with commerce by threats or violence. This count does not carry a potential death penalty sentence.
• Count 23: Using the third pressure cooker bomb in Watertown. This count does not carry a potential death penalty sentence.
• Count 24: Use of a firearm during count 23. The handgun and bomb were both discharged, with the latter being deemed destructive. This count does not carry a potential death penalty sentence.
• Count 25: Using the first pipe bomb as a weapon of mass destruction in Watertown. This count does not carry a potential death penalty sentence.

• Count 26: Tsarnaev used both the pipe bomb and the handgun during count 25. The handgun was discharged, as was the pipe bomb, which was deemed destructive. This count does not carry a potential death penalty sentence.
• Count 27: Use of a second pipe bomb in Watertown. This count does not carry a potential death penalty sentence.
• Count 28: Use of the second pipe bomb and handgun in relation to count 27, resulting in both the handgun and bomb discharging, the latter being deemed destructive. This count does not carry a potential death penalty sentence.
• Count 29: Use of a third pipe bomb in Watertown. This count does not carry a potential death penalty sentence.
• Count 30: Use of the third pipe bomb as well as the handgun in relation to count 29. The handgun was discharged, while the pipe bomb was brandished and deemed destructive. This count does not carry a potential death penalty sentence.

During the trial, Tsarnaev's attorney, Judy Clark, attempted to convince jurors that her client was swayed to action by his brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who was killed in an altercation with authorities four days after the bombings. She did not, however, claim that Tsarnaev was innocent of the bombings. As she told the courtroom, "For this destruction, suffering and profound loss, there is no excuse. ... No one is trying to make one. Planting bombs at the Boston Marathon one year and 51 weeks ago was a senseless act."

Clearly, the 30 guilty counts reflect just that.