Judge to prospective jurors: You decide if Tsarnaev lives or dies
BOSTON -- The judge in the trial of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has told the first group of prospective jurors to face questioning that they will decide if Tsarnaev lives or dies.
Judge George O'Toole Jr. sounded a somber tone as he gave initial instructions to a group of about 20 potential jurors who will be questioned individually.
The first prospective juror questioned in the trial said he would sentence Tsarnaev to death. The man, who works in advertising, said he believes Tsarnaev is guilty and should get the death penalty. He says he can't imagine any evidence that would change how he feels about the deadly bombing.
WBZ-TV's Jim Armstrong, who is tweeting from the courthouse, reported that one potential juror's wife is a nurse who treated some of the bombing victims.
Wife of juror 6 is a nurse at MGH who treated some marathon bombing victims.
— Jim Armstrong (@JimArmstrongWBZ) January 15, 2015
Juror 6: my wife was very much impacted by the injuries she treated after bombings. He still says he can be impartial in that regard.
— Jim Armstrong (@JimArmstrongWBZ) January 15, 2015
The judge says that if the jury convicts Tsarnaev of one of the capital crimes he is charged with, jurors must then decide if he should get the death penalty or life in prison.
Tsarnaev is accused in the deadly 2013 marathon bombing. Twin bombs placed near the finish line killed three people and injured more than 260.