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 The same jury that on Wednesday found Tsarnaev, 21, guilty of
carrying out one of the most shocking attacks on U.S. soil since
Sept. 11, 2001, will hear from more prosecution and defense
witnesses before determining whether to sentence him to death or
life in prison without possibility of parole.
The prosecution is expected to portray the ethnic Chechen as an
Islamic extremist adherent of al Qaeda who planted one of the two
homemade pressure cooker bombs at the race's finish line on April
15, 2013, because he "wanted to punish America for what it was doing
to his people," in the words of Assistant U.S. Attorney Aloke
Chakravarty.
The defense, meanwhile, is expected to play up the role of his
26-year-old brother, Tamerlan, in carrying out the attack. In
closing arguments last week, defense attorney Judith Clarke
contended that Tamerlan was the driving force behind the bombing,
with Dzhokhar following along.
 Tamerlan died during the brothers' chaotic final day of freedom.
Three days after the bombing, the pair shot dead a police officer
and carjacked a Chinese businessman as they attempted to flee the
city.
The carjacking victim escaped and alerted police to their plans,
setting the stage for a gunfight between the Tsarnaevs and law
enforcement that ended when Dzhokhar roared off in the stolen SUV,
running over his brother. During the guilt phase of the trial,
U.S. District Judge George O'Toole had limited the amount of
evidence the defense could present about the relationship between
the brothers, who had immigrated to the United States from Russia a
decade before the attack.
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But the sentencing phase, which the Justice Department announced on
Friday would begin on April 21, will provide the defense with an
opportunity to focus on that element of the case and possibly to
call Tsarnaev to testify.
The death penalty is controversial in Massachusetts, where it is
illegal under state law but allowed in federal cases. The state has
not seen an execution since 1947.
The bombing killed restaurant manager Krystle Campbell, 29; Chinese
exchange student Lingzi Lu, 23; and 8-year-old Martin Richard.
Tsarnaev also was found guilty of the fatal shooting of
Massachusetts of Institute of Technology police officer Sean
Collier, 26.
(Editing by Barbara Goldberg)
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