Most Americans Want Death Penalty For Boston Marathon Bomber [CBS News]
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- As the U.S. marks the second anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombings, a CBS News poll released Wednesday found 60 percent of Americans would like to see the surviving bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev sentenced to die.
Thirty percent of those surveyed oppose the death penalty in this case.
Three people were killed and more than 260 others were wounded in the attacks on April 15, 2013. Last Wednesday, Tsarnaev, 21, was convicted of all 30 counts against him – including use of a weapon of mass destruction and murder. His older brother, Tamerlan, died following a shootout with police days after the attacks.
The poll finds support for the death penalty for Tsarnaev is eight points lower than it was for Timothy McVeigh following his 1997 conviction for the Oklahoma City bombing that killed 168 people on April 19, 1995.
In general, overall support for the death penalty is at the lowest level ever recorded in the CBS News Poll. It currently stands at 56 percent. Support for the death penalty has declined steadily since it reached its peak in the late 1980s. A CBS News Poll in 1988 found support at an all-time high of 78 percent.
The poll surveyed 1,012 Americans between April 8 and April 12 with a margin of error of +/- 3 percentage points.
Boston is marking the second anniversary of the attacks with a moment of silence, the tolling of church bells and a call for kindness.
PHOTOS: Boston Marathon Bombing
On Wednesday morning, Mayor Marty Walsh, Gov. Charlie Baker and other officials unveiled commemorative banners at the site of the blasts on Boylston Street. The orange banners bear a white heart with a road receding into the distance and the word "Boston.''
The four banners were mounted on light poles wrapped in blue and yellow flowers, the marathon's colors.
Jane Richard, who lost a leg in the blasts that took the life of her 8-year-old brother, Martin, helped unveil one set of banners.
A moment of silence will follow at 2:49 p.m., when the first of two bombs exploded near the finish line on April 15. Church bells will then ring throughout the city.
Walsh has declared April 15 "One Boston Day,'' a new tradition in which Bostonians are encouraged to show kindness and generosity.
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