(NECN) - Federal prosecutors have decided to seek the death penalty against Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.
Since Massachusetts doesn't have the death penalty, the case has plenty of legal angles to explore.
Attorney and former prosecutor Wendy Murphy is an adjunct professor at New England School of Law and she joined us for more on the subject.
She said that with the death penalty comes more work, and that the jury will be asked not only to find guilt, but conditions for favoring the penalty.
She said the process will take a significantly longer time to complete.
She said that just because the death penalty is on the table does not mean it will be chosen, as the jury will be selected among Massachusetts residents, who mostly oppose the death penalty.
Murphy said, “If ever there is a case for the death penalty, it should be where multiple people have been killed, including a child and police officer. Weapons of mass destructions were used and we’re talking about terrorism and targeting a beloved Boston event. If ever there was a case for it, this would be it, but it’s Massachusetts.
She said that in the U.S., when people are worried about being fair in a trial because of the emotional investment, the trial tends to be especially fair.
