Excerpt:
As jury selection in the federal trial for accused Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev begins, his high-profile defense attorneys, provided courtesy of the United States taxpayer, will argue that Dzhokhar was under the psychological influence and control of his older brother, Tamerlan, when they engaged in their orgy of violence back in April 2013. They will also argue that Chechens experienced discrimination and hardship dating back to the Stalin era and that these as well as other factors curtailed the younger Tsarnaev's free will. Tamerlan was killed after Dzhokhar drove over and dragged his body while attempting to flee from police.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev faces 30 federal charges including multiple counts of murder and using a weapon of mass destruction. Seventeen of the thirty counts on the indictment sheet carry the death penalty. Tsarnaev's team of experienced attorneys includes Miriam Conrad, Judy Clarke and David I. Bruck and each is an expert on capital cases. They will seek to reach a plea deal with federal prosecutors, one that avoids the death penalty for their murderous client.
The trial will be bifurcated, which means that there will be two proceedings. In the first, the government will establish Tsarnaev's guilt, a task that doesn't seem difficult given the weight of evidence. A separate proceeding will then commence to determine whether he will face the death penalty for his actions.