Recommendation On Death Penalty For Accused Boston Bomber Near
(Reuters) - Federal prosecutors in Massachusetts will decide within a week whether to recommend the death penalty for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev if he is convicted in the Boston Marathon bombing.
The prosecutors in the office of U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz told a court hearing on Tuesday that the sentencing recommendation would go to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, who will have until January 31 to make the final say on the government's recommended punishment for the 20-year-old ethnic Chechen.
Tsarnaev is accused of detonating twin pressure-cooker bombs at the finish line of the world-renowned foot race on April 15, killing three people and injuring 264, many of them losing limbs. It was the worst attack on U.S. soil since September 11, 2001.
In the hearing before U.S. District Court Judge George O'Toole Jr., attorneys for Tsarnaev accused the government of throwing up unfair obstacles to hinder preparation of their client's defense.
They said an initial proposal by prosecutors to hold the trial in the fall of 2014 was "completely unworkable," given the complexity of the case and complained that the government was not sharing important evidence.
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http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/12/us-usa-explosions-boston-idUSBRE9AB0JS20131112
