Advertisement
Weighing Capital Punishment In A Non-Death Penalty State
Resume
The next phase of the trial of convicted Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is set to begin Monday. Jurors will hear testimony from both prosecution and defense witnesses to help them decide whether Tsarnaev should be executed or spend the rest of his life in jail.
The penalty phase will reignite the debate about the death penalty, especially in a state that has no death penalty statute and where a majority of residents say they oppose it. It also, again, raises the question of why the federal government claimed jurisdiction in this case in the first place.
Guests
Harvey Silverglate, defense attorney and civil rights litigator. He tweets @HASilverglate.
Donald Stern, former federal prosecutor.
More
The Boston Globe: After The Tsarnaev Verdict, The Real Drama Begins
- "The feds overstepped in asserting their superior claim to jurisdiction in this case in anticipation of this very moment, and Massachusetts citizens should pay close attention as prosecutors make their case for execution."
This segment aired on April 9, 2015.