In 1984, the state of Massachusetts abolished the death penalty. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and his brother killed three people and injured 264 others in Boston, Massachusetts. Because Tsarnaev was tried on federal charges — because he was found guilty on 17 capital charges — and because the jury concluded he showed no remorse — after 14 hours of deliberations, the jury decided Tsarnaev should be put to death.
Once again America is faced with how we feel about capital punishment. Is it right? Is it not? That is the question.
Allow me first a few factual ponderings…
- Dzhokhar Anzorovich “Jahar” Tsarnaev is only 21.
- Tsarnaev and his brother murdered three at the finish line and a police officer in the manhunt.
- 15 persons had some sort of amputation because of the bombings.
- Tsarnaev’s lawyers did not refute the charges against him.
- Tsarnaev wrote, “The bombings were in retribution for the U.S. crimes in places like Iraq and Afghanistan [and] that the victims of the Boston bombing were collateral damage, in the same way innocent victims have been collateral damage in U.S. wars around the world. When you attack one Muslim, you attack all Muslims.”
- Tsarnaev also said during questioning that he and his brother next intended to detonate explosives in NYC’s Times Square.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev intended for multiple people to be killed. He was prepared to kill again. Is it thus right to kill him?
Friends, this is a tough one. It should not be taken lightly. Four people died because of the evil behavior of two young men; is it equally evil to kill one more as a consequence for the four?
Before any utterance, allow me to preface our discussion with a bit of potential hypocrisy… If one claims to be “pro-life” and also support the death penalty, please be able to back up the combination of never killing a child but being comfortable killing an adult. Similarly, if one claims to be “pro-choice” but is also completely against the death penalty, please be able to back up why intentionally stopping a beating heart is acceptable in only one of these cases. As said, this is a tough issue.
My bottom line, friends, is that this is not an issue to be taken lightly. It’s not an issue in which any should cheer — be that when a death sentence is administered — or circumvented; there is zero place for cheer. This is sobering.
I think of those in Massachusetts who sat on that jury. As reported by the BBC… “After the death sentence was announced, he [Tsarnaev] bowed his head. A juror with gold hoop earrings took a drink from a water bottle. A moment later she started to cry. Another juror touched her to reassure her and to comfort her. Another juror with dark-framed glasses and a blue shirt cried too. He took off his glasses. He wiped his forehead and wiped his eyes. He bit his lips, distraught.”
I appreciate that those with the incredibly enormous responsibility of discerning the appropriateness of the death penalty cried… they cried.
There are no cheers; there is nothing to celebrate. This is tough place for wisdom to shine through. It’s hard to see any put to death. It was also hard to see the victims die.
Martin Richard was one of the three at the finish line who died. He was eight years old. His sister, six-year-old Jane, had a leg blown off.
Like I said, this is hard.
Respectfully…
AR