WASHINGTON, September 23 (RIA Novosti) – Lawyers for accused Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev have asked a US federal judge for more time to make their case against the death penalty for their client, The Associated Press (AP) reported Monday.
The lawyers representing Tsarnaev, whose family roots lie in the restive North Caucasus region in southern Russia, told a federal judge in Boston on Monday that they have yet to receive crucial evidence from prosecutors and have not had enough time to submit their arguments for why he should not be put to death if he is convicted, the AP reported.
Prosecutors say Tsarnaev, 20, carried out the April 15 twin bombing together with his brother Tamerlan, killing three people and wounding more than 260. Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed during a shootout with police outside Boston days later, while Dzhokhar was arrested and subsequently charged.
Capital punishment is barred in Massachusetts, but Tsarnaev has been indicted on federal charges, including using a weapon of mass destruction, which could carry the death penalty upon conviction. He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him.
A prosecutor argued Monday that Tsarnaev’s lawyers have had a “reasonable” amount of time to formulate its argument against the death penalty in the case given that nearly six months have passed since the bombing, the AP reported.
The prosecution plans to provide its recommendations to US Attorney General Eric Holder by Oct. 31 on whether capital punishment should be sought in the case, the prosecutor was quoted by the AP as saying.
