COMMENTARY

If Dzhokhar Tsarnaev had been sentenced to life in prison, he would have been led out of the courtroom and out of our lives.

Instead, given the sentencing procedures in death penalty cases, he’ll be back in court, likely in July. He will be given the chance to speak. And with the mandatory appeals that follow, he will be back in the news every time his legal team makes a move.

Seeking the death penalty was a statement. If Attorney General Eric Holder and U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz hadn’t sought death in this case, when would they? Not doing so would have said that we as a nation no longer believe in executing people, even for the worst crimes.


Apparently, given today’s verdict, we still do.

Due to the nature of the appeals system, Tsarnaev may never actually be executed. So with this verdict, he may have just ended up getting life in prison, but with more visibility.