Long Phillipos Deliberations Could Play A Role In Tsarnaev Trial
BOSTON (CBS) – The jury in the Robel Phillipos trial deliberated for 34 hours and that likely has the attention of both sides in Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's upcoming trial.
Phillipos, 21, of Cambridge, was convicted Tuesday of two counts of lying to federal investigators in the Boston Marathon bombings probe.
Two other friends of Tsarnaev, Dias Kadyrbayev and Azamat Tazhayakov, were both convicted of conspiracy and obstruction of justice earlier this year. They each face up to 25 years in prison.
WBZ-TV legal analyst Harry Manion discusses the verdict
Phillipos faces up to 16 years at his sentencing January 29.
The jury needed six days to reach a verdict, partially due to some holdouts, according to one juror.
"It was a very difficult decision. That's why we took a long time being there. But, we reached a conclusion and that's it," the juror, who did not want to be named, told WBZ after the verdicts were read Tuesday.
But the long deliberations will open some eyes in Tsarnaev's case, according to WBZ-TV legal analyst Harry Manion.
"Will Phillipos roll? Will he cooperate? Will his lawyer be picking up the phone and calling the United States Attorney Carmen Ortiz and say 'We'll accept responsibility, what do you need us to do against Dzhokhar?' and that will immediately impact his sentencing," Manion said.
"Second, what does it mean that there were a couple of holdouts in a slam dunk – that the pot smoking defense has legs? Are we going to hear that from Dzhokhar? I don't think that it'll have legs in a mass murder (trial)."
Manion believes the defense will try to portray Dzhokhar as a victim of his older brother Tamerlan, who was killed in the manhunt.
"Is there some level of empathy in this jury panel, in this group of jurors that we're going to draw from in the District of Massachusetts, who may feel some sort of empathy for the younger brother," Manion said.
"And if so, that will impact the question of capital crime."
Tsarnaev has pleaded not guilty to 30 federal charges and could face the death penalty.
His trial is scheduled for January.
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