May 15
USA:
Few federal inmates on death row have been actually put to death
Now that a death sentence was given Friday to convicted Boston Marathon bomber
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, many Americans may be surprised to know he could live a
relatively long time on federal death row.
That's partly because only three people have been executed in the United States
since the federal death penalty was reinstated in 1988 after a 16-year
moratorium. Those three are:
-- Timothy McVeigh for the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing that killed 168 people.
-- Juan Raul Garza convicted of killing 3 people and running a marijuana drug
ring in Texas.
-- Louis Jones for the kidnapping and murder of 19-year-old Army Pvt. Tracie
McBride.
Before McVeigh's execution in 2001, the federal government had not put anyone
to death since 1963.
Juries have handed down the death sentence in federal cases 74 times since
1988, according to the Federal Death Penalty Resource Counsel Project.
In federal capital cases, juries choose death rather than life in prison about
30% of the time.
But when you take into account overturned convictions and vacated verdicts, the
death sentence has only been applied 71 times in federal cases.
A trial judge has the power to vacate a jury's death sentence in federal cases,
said Robert Dunham, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center.
Such overturning of a death sentence occurs when a judge agrees with an
attorney's post-trial motion to throw out the death penalty, Dunham said.
3 federal inmates who were sentenced to death, died or committed suicide prior
to the imposition of their sentence, the Federal Death Penalty Resource Counsel
Project said.
There are about 60 people on federal death row and more than 3,000 on death
rows across the country in state prisons.
32 states have a death penalty. Massachusetts is 1 of the 18 states without a
death penalty. It was abolished there in 1984. In a Boston Globe poll taken in
September, 57% of Boston respondents supported a life sentence for Tsarnaev,
and 35% favored the death penalty.
According to Amnestyusa.org, 139 countries around the world have abolished the
penalty in law or practice. In 2009, the overwhelming majority of all known
executions took place in 5 countries: China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and the
United States.
(source: CNN)
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Death Penalty for Tsarnaev: Reaction to Verdict in Boston Marathon Attack
Public officials said Friday that they hoped the death penalty for Dzhokhar
Tsarnaev might bring closure to the families of the victims and help heal a
city wounded by the Boston Marathon attack.
Here are some statements of reaction.
Mayor Marty Walsh of Boston I want to thank the jurors and the judiciary for
their service to our community and our country. I hope this verdict provides a
small amount of closure to the survivors, families, and all impacted by the
violent and tragic events surrounding the 2013 Boston Marathon. We will forever
remember and honor those who lost their lives and were affected by those
senseless acts of violence on our City. Today, more than ever, we know that
Boston is a City of hope, strength and resilience, that can overcome any
challenge.
Attorney General Loretta Lynch
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev coldly and callously perpetrated a terrorist attack that
injured hundreds of Americans and ultimately took the lives of three
individuals: Krystle Marie Campbell, a 29-year-old native of Medford; Lingzi
Lu, a 23-year-old Boston University graduate student from China; and Martin
Richard, an 8-year-old boy from Dorchester who was watching the marathon with
his family just a few feet from the second bomb. In the aftermath of the
attack, Tsarnaev and his brother murdered Sean Collier, a 27-year-old patrol
officer on the MIT campus, extinguishing a life dedicated to family and
service.
We know all too well that no verdict can heal the souls of those who lost loved
ones, nor the minds and bodies of those who suffered life-changing injuries
from this cowardly attack. But the ultimate penalty is a fitting punishment for
this horrific crime and we hope that the completion of this prosecution will
bring some measure of closure to the victims and their families. We thank the
jurors for their service, the people of Boston for their vigilance, resilience
and support and the law enforcement community in Boston and throughout the
country for their important work.
Chief John DiFava of the MIT police
On behalf of the entire MIT Police Department, I would first like to offer my
continued sympathy and support to the victims and their families. While the
horror thy have endured can never be undone, I hope that the conclusion of the
trial and the subsequent verdict can offer some kind of closure, no matter how
small.
I would also like to extended my deepest thanks and appreciation to the United
States Attorney's Office and the prosecution team; the FBI and supporting law
enforcement agencies, and the men and women of the jury who were confronted
with an extremely difficult decision and performed admirably.
We respect the judicial system in the United States and its well defined
process. No verdict could erase the horrible tragedies that have occurred, and
we respect the decision of the jury.
Watertown, Massachusetts, police Tsarnaev was cornered in Watertown 4 days
after the blasts.
The members of the Watertown Police Department are pleased the jury has made a
decision in the sentencing of the convicted marathon bomber. We understand the
complexities of this decision and how difficult it has been for them to reach
this final conclusion. The efforts and commitment of the jurors over the past 4
months are appreciated and we respect the outcome of their decision.
The Watertown Police Department would also like to commend the hard work and
determination of the prosecution team. We have witnessed first-hand the
incredible amount of work, both in and out of the courtroom, they have endured
preparing and presenting this case. We appreciate all their efforts and
dedication.
At this time the Watertown Police Department would also like to remember the
victims, survivors and families of those affected by the events of this
terrible tragedy. They will forever be in our thoughts and prayers.
Col. Tim Alben, superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police
On behalf of the Massachusetts State Police I want to extend our thanks and
deepest respect to the the members of the jury in the Tsarnaev Case. For
months, these men and women placed their lives on hold for the greater good of
our community. They listened intently to the testimony, carefully evaluated the
evidence and were committed to the immense responsibility of thoughtful and
intensive deliberation. Today, the jury has spoken with a verdict to enact the
death penalty. As with the guilty verdict several weeks ago, the collective
thoughts of this department remain not with the defendant and the path he chose
that resulted in today's verdict, but for the victims of his actions, their
families and this greater community."
(source: NBC News)
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