Law

Boston Marathon bomber Tsarnaev guilty on all counts

Tsarnaev guilty on first 4 charges
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Tsarnaev guilty on first 4 charges
Death penalty too good for Tsarnaev: Shapiro
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Death penalty too good for Tsarnaev: Shapiro
Days following Boston bombing
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Days following Boston bombing
Boston bomber guilty on Count 1
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Boston bomber guilty on Count 1

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was found guilty on Wednesday of all 30 counts against him for his involvement in the Boston Marathon bombing.

Seventeen of the counts against Tsarnaev, including use of a weapon of mass destruction, qualify him for the death penalty.

As the court's clerk read out each conviction, the courtroom was silent.

Experts widely predicted that Tsarnaev would be found guilty on most, if not all, of the counts, but many agreed the real battle will be whether the defense can save him from the death penalty. He is represented be nationally renowned defense attorney Judy Clarke.

The convicted bomber will now go back before same jury, which will decide if he is sentenced to death. The date for this phase of the trial is not yet set, although there will not be any courtroom sessions on Thursday or Friday.

"There's a task ahead of you," U.S. District Judge George O'Toole told the jury after all 30 convictions were read.

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While Clarke painted Tsarnaev's involvement in the bombing as a result of his brother's influence, the prosecution has described the April 15, 2013, incident as a "cold, calculated terrorist act."

"This was intentional. It was bloodthirsty. It was to make a point," lead prosecutor Aloke Chakravarty had said.

The jurors likely had some back-and-forth already about the merits of a death penalty sentence, Darryl Cohen, a former assistant state attorney in Miami and former assistant district attorney in Atlanta, told CNBC's "Power Lunch."

Still, he said, the trial's next phase will likely see the jury voting in favor of the death penalty for Tsarnaev.

Boston Mayor Martin Walsh weighed in on the ruling, saying he is "hopeful for a swift sentencing process."

"I hope today's verdict provides a small amount of closure for the survivors, families, and all impacted by the violent and tragic events surrounding the 2013 Boston Marathon," he said in a written statement. "The incidents of those days have forever left a mark on our City. As we remember those who lost so much, we reflect on how tragedy revealed our deepest values, and the best of who we are as a community."

Sketch of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev entering the courtroom, April 8, 2015
Source: Art Lien | Courtartist.com

Victims' family members and law enforcement officials also commented publicly on the convictions.

"On the occasion of today's guilty verdict in U.S. District Court, the collective thoughts of the entire Massachusetts State Police are with the victims, survivors and families of those maimed by these cowardly acts of terrorism," Massachusetts State Police Col. Timothy P. Alben said in a Facebook post after the verdict.

"In today's verdict, we hope to turn another page in the recovery and healing of our community. We are hopeful that in justice, those that have been injured may find some sense of peace," he added.

Prosecutors in the Boston Marathon bombing trial began closing arguments Monday in the case against Tsarnaev.

In those statements, prosecutors said Tsarnaev was a full participant in the 2013 attacks who "wanted to terrorize his country," according to NBC News.

The attack killed three people and injured 260, including at least 15 who ultimately lost limbs. A 26-year-old MIT police officer was also later killed. Tsarnaev allegedly joined with his brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, to carry out the attack. Tamerlan was killed in a shootout with police after the attack.

Tsarnaev's defense team acknowledged his role in the twin bombings, but argued he was a manipulated apprentice and should be spared the death penalty.

—NBC's Tom Winter and CNBC's Karma Allen contributed to this report.