Jury reaches verdict in Boston Marathon death penalty trial
By DENISE LAVOIE, Associated Press
Apr 8, 2015 12:37 PM CDT
In this courtroom sketch, defense attorney Judy Clarke is depicted addressing the jury as defendant Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, right, sits during closing arguments in Tsarnaev's federal death penalty trial Monday, April 6, 2015, in Boston. Tsarnaev is charged with conspiring with his brother to place two bombs...   (Associated Press)

BOSTON (AP) — A jury has reached a verdict in the federal death penalty trial of Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (joh-HAHR' tsahr-NEYE'-ehv).

The verdict is expected to be announced shortly in U.S. District Court. Lawyers and survivors of the bombing are gathering in court.

The verdict was reached Wednesday afternoon after a little over 12 hours of deliberations over two days.

Tsarnaev's lawyers admitted he participated in the bombings, but said his now-dead older brother was the driving force behind the 2013 deadly attack.

The jury was asked to decide 30 charges against Tsarnaev, including using a weapon of mass destruction.

If the jury convicts Tsarnaev, it will move on to a second phase of the trial to decide whether he should receive the death penalty or spend the rest of his life in prison.

Three people were killed and more than 260 were injured when twin pressure-cooker bombs exploded near the marathon finish line on April 15, 2013.

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