Tsarnaev Attorneys

Government and defense attorneys in the trial of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev go to sidebar with Judge George O'Toole in Courtroom 9 at Moakley Courthouse.

(Jane Flavell Collins/Janecollinsartist.com)

It won't be long now before we learn the fate of the Boston Marathon bomber.

Defense attorneys for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev have spent the last two weeks attempting to paint a picture of a young man that they think will sway at least one juror to support life in prison instead of the death penalty.

Jurors have heard of his nomadic childhood in a chaotic section of the former Soviet Union, his domineering abusive brother, his mentally troubled father, and his mother's turn from a lively and flashy dresser to devout conservative Muslim in the United States.

The defense has called witnesses from his high school wrestling days that were baffled by his turn as a jihadist the week of April 15, 2013 and a former high school classmate that had a crush on him but still turned him down for prom because, she said, she was shy.

Four female relatives of his that struggled to maintain their composure all testified through tears about how he was a wonderful child. A fifth was unable to testify because she was so overcome by emotion in the witness box. Some outlets reported that Tsarnaev shed a tear after seeing his relatives.

While jurors have not heard from Tsarnaev they have heard testimony from expert witnesses on the intricacies of Chechnya and the wiring of the adolescent brain. Jurors' interest in the detail oriented witnesses appeared split with some dialed into the proceedings while others appeared bored. Their appearances harkened back to scenes from earlier in the trial where witnesses gave long, dry testimony about the workings of computer hard drives.

Any boredom in the courtroom went away though when former federal death row prison warden Mark Bezy took the stand over the course of two days. Bezy testified about how Tsarnaev could spend the rest of his life at ADX Florence in Colorado, a prison once described as "a clean version of hell."

Bezy, well versed in the world of prisons, rarely spoke about what life is like at the federal death row prison in Terre Haute, Indiana and instead focused on the nuances of prisoner classification at ADX Florence where a prisoner's life sounds like it ranges from terrible to worse than death.

Bezy clashed with Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Mellin over what happens to prisoners at ADX. Mellin noted that a select few actually end up in the worst wing of the worst prison in the United States, not everyone at ADX Florence lives an isolated life of 24/7 misery. When it was over the tense pair, witness and prosecutor, shook hands.

With Bezy done, the defense was left with probably one witness to call: New Orleans-based Catholic nun and anti-death penalty activist Sister Helen Prejean of "Dead Man Walking" fame.

When court recessed on Thursday it was still up in the air as to whether or not she will testify on Monday. Prejean is known primarily for her activism not her prowess as a witness on the stand.

The defendant could not speak to life on death row or in ADX Supermax but he could provide great insight into his mindset before, after, and during the bombings as well as his childhood but it is unlikely Tsarnaev testifies. Tsarnaev's appearance on the stand would open him up to cross examination from the government, something that could be devastating for his defense. We may simply never know the details of when and how he transformed into an Islamic terrorist with a deep hatred for the United States.

It is expected that after the defense rests in the sentencing phase the government will call a number of rebuttal witness before moving to closing arguments.

Tsarnaev's life could be in the hands of the jury as early as Wednesday.