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."