It's in the hands of the jury now, and the suspense is killing me

[derby378]

Will Dzohar Tsarnayev be found guilty, or will the jury instead find him guilty?

Heck, even his own defense is saying he's guilty as sin. This is just a dog and pony show in preparation for the penalty phase.

[hrmjustin]

1. As far as I am concerned he should get life in prison.

[stevenleser]

2. Yep, in a Supermax. nt

[zipplewrath]

5. That's a horrible place

Death might be better.
It is hard to figure out what to do with young people who make such horrible decisions. Especially ones like this that may not have been doing much of their own thinking. The damage this person has done is almost incalculable. Punishment will be unending until death, which in this case could end up being 60 years or more. One wishes that there was someway to make use of such a person, instead of just making one more "victim" of this horrible crime.

[Ms. Yertle]

8. That's one reason I oppose the death penalty

It's way too easy on those who commit the most heinous crimes. He deserves to wake up every morning for the next 60 years and spend the entire dayREGRETTING killing four people and maiming countless others.

He is not a victim.

When I was his age, I knew enough not to blow people up. I bet you did, too.

[TheCowsCameHome]

10. They're made for each other. n/t

[derby378]

4. That would be fine with me

Chances are he'd get a cell in ADX Florence. 23 hours of solitary every day, and if you're lucky enough to score a cell with a TV, there's not much on, I understand. A very quiet, sterile, and boring place to spend the rest of your life.

[Chemisse]

3. The only surprise here will be if he gets the death penalty or not.

His guilt has already been conceded.

[cwydro]

7. I'm opposed to the death penalty.

But I won't lose sleep if he gets it.

[pipi_k]

19. Same here

I don't support the DP but I'm not going to feel sorry for him if he gets it. All I have to do is think of that little 8 year old boy (I can't even look at his picture on TV) and I think of my grandson who was around the same age when the bombing happened.

Nope. No pity for the guy.

[Nye Bevan]

6. Plenty of DUers think life in Supermax is too harsh for this guy.

I think it's entirely appropriate.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022738887

[cwydro]

9. Yeah.

I only wish he could do two life sentences there.

He's a sociopath. Throw away the key.

[alarimer]

14. I think it's too harsh for anyone.

It is inhumane. In my opinion, we need to look to the Scandinavian countries for true justice and not vengeance, which is all our "justice" system is for.

It is barbaric. Americans are generally barbaric, though, in every sense of the word. From the dehumanizing words we use to refer to criminals, to the way they are paraded through the media and, finally, to the way they are treated once incarcerated. Solitary confinement turns people into animals. The science is clear on this and we should be above this sort of vengeance, even for the worst of the worst.

In addition, there is no way this could ever have been a "fair" trial. And no way the punishment phase will even be fair at all. This trial should have been moved from the outset. It is ridiculous that it wasn't.

[Bettie]

17. I agree

but I suspect you and I are among a very few who old such opinions.

[Orsino]

18. It's too harsh for anyone, yes.

The American penal system offers few humane options, and privatization only makes things worse for inmates.

[uppityperson]

11. He was so young. How could an 18 yr old do this?That is a rhetorical question

it is beyond my comprehension not only how could someone do this, but an 18 yr old. He was a kid. Killing and injuring so many others.

[derby378]

12. Unfortunately, it's not that hard to do

Dzohar may have been egged on by al-Qaeda literature, but in the end, he made a choice. An adult-caliber choice to take the lives of innocent people. And now he's about to face the consequences.

[Marrah_G]

13. I think teenagers can be very susceptible to manipulation

I think had his brother not been in his life and if he had better parents this never would have happened.

[Adrahil]

16. Very likely.

But he DID do it. Throw away the key....

[Adrahil]

15. I oppose the death penalty... so life, no release, super max.

But damn, if I ever was tempted to support the death penalty, now would be it.