The government has rested in the death penalty phase of the trial of convicted Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev after presenting three days of powerful testimony from bombing survivors and relatives of the dead. The defense is expected to begin next week.
Almost 20 witnesses testified over three days as prosecutors attempted to convince jurors that Tsarnaev was cold-hearted and unremorseful and had committed a crime so heinous, he deserved to pay with his life.
The defense, led by famed death penalty opponent Judy Clarke, is expected to try to soften that portrayal next week by calling witnesses to explain Tsarnaev’s difficult upbringing in a Muslim immigrant family.