WASHINGTON -- After showing the jury autopsy photos of the dead, prosecutors on Monday ended their first part of case against Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, suspect in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing attack.
The testimony on Monday, the 15th day since the trial began in March, mainly focused on how the bomb Tsarnaev placed near the finish line of the marathon mutilated bodies of Martin Richard, 8, and Lingzi Lu, a 23-year-old Chinese grad student, the two of the three killed in a twin bombings on April 15, 2013, during which some 260 were also maimed.
As prosecutors wrapped up their case, Tsarnaev's defense team on Monday also began their attempt to save the life of the 21-year- old Kyrgyzstan-born U.S. citizen.
During the opening statement, Tsarnaev's lawyer admitted he participated in the bombings, but said the other deceased suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev, older brother of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, masterminded the attacks and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was under the sway of his dominant older brother.
After the defense team closes their case, most likely by the end of this week, the jury will then decide if Tsarnaev is guilty of 30 counts, among which 17 counts carry the death penalty as possible punishment.
If the jury finds Tsarnaev guilty, the trial will then move to its second and crucial phase, where the jury determines whether he will be executed or serve a life sentence without parole.
